Childhood Immunizations are Important
- Childhood immunizations are a safe and effective way to keep children
from getting 14 serious and sometimes deadly diseases:
- Hepatitis B.
- Rotavirus.
- Diphtheria.
- Tetanus.
- Pertussis (whooping cough).
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib).
- Pneumococcal.
- Polio.
- Influenza.
- Measles.
- Mumps.
- Rubella.
- Hepatitis A.
- Meningococcal.
- In the last 50 years, vaccines have helped to nearly wipe out measles,
diphtheria, and polio.
- Vaccines strengthen the immune system by helping the body to recognize
and fight the viruses and bacteria that cause disease.
- Eating nutritious food, drinking clean water, good sanitation, and good
hygiene (like consistent handwashing), also help stop disease. However, even in the
cleanest places, the viruses and bacteria that cause disease and death
still exist.
- Vaccine side effects are very rare. A child’s risk of having a health
problem from an immunization is much less than his or her risk of suffering from
the disease itself.
- Vaccines not only protect the child who receives the immunization, but
they also protect those who:
- Have weakened immune systems.
- Cannot get shots because of a medical condition or because they are too
young or too old.
- Are not fully immunized.
- The best way to protect our children and community is to vaccinate
children, especially from birth to two years of age.
- There are national governmental databases that watch out for potential problems with
vaccines. These vaccine surveillance systems are in place to identify
potential issues with vaccines.
- As science progresses, new vaccines are discovered that will help
protect babies and children from diseases.
Last Update:
05/21/2009 06:18 PM
