Diabetes under the Dome

Tomorrow, April 26th, is the YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day, which promotes the important role an active and healthy lifestyle plays in the overall wellbeing of every child. Through various events during the day, the YMCA will emphasize how beneficial it is to stay active throughout the summer.

“One in three U.S. children is obese. This statistic, coupled with the fact that once summer hits, children will be more idle, demonstrates why it’s important to help families develop healthy habits now,” said Angie Reese-Hawkins, President & CEO, YMCA of Metropolitan Washington. “Through Healthy Kids Day, our goal is to improve the health and well-being of kids and inspire habits they can continue into adulthood.”

The YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day is incredibly important to the preventative efforts we must take to help children live healthy lives, but it is also critical we do more, including administering vaccinations.

Infants are vaccinated against a number of dangerous diseases including the whooping cough, mumps and measles. Unfortunately, fewer parents are vaccinating their children, and as a result, there is concern around the recent measles outbreak. As the Today Show noted, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 129 cases of measles in 13 states marking the biggest outbreak in nearly two decades. Measles has seen a resurgence in the United States because parents have listened to inaccurate rumors suggesting potentially harmful side effects among other factors.

From the first vaccination ever developed for smallpox to the targeted elimination of polio, measles and rubella, vaccines help create a healthier society. They are crucial to protecting our children so that they can have fun at events like the YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day. Be sure to celebrate your healthy kid by learning about the events at the YMCAs in DC and around the country.