Vaccination Basics: Immunizations & Protecting Your Child Against Dangerous Childhood Diseases



Throughout childhood, kids need a number of vaccinations, also called immunizations, to build up the body’s defenses against dangerous infections and diseases. These immunizations, some of which are a single shot, and others a series of shots over several days, months or years, help keep your child healthy.

Immunizations work by safely introducing a child’s body to the killed or weakened part of a germ that is responsible for infection. The body reacts to the germ by making antibodies – the body’s defenders against disease and illness. By immunizing your child at the recommended times, you give his or her immune system a chance to make antibodies. If the actual disease germs ever attack your child’s body, the antibodies will attack and eliminate the germs. Children who aren’t immunized do not have the antibodies necessary to fight many serious, and even fatal, diseases.

Recommended immunizations for children ages 0 through 6 include:

• Hepatitis B
• Rotavirus
• Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis
• Haemophilus influenzae type b
• Pneumococcal5
• Inactivated Poliovirus
• Influenza
• Measles, Mumps, Rubella
• Varicella
• Hepatitis A
• Meningococcal

Contact a pediatrician to determine which immunizations your child should receive at different stages of childhood.


Like any medicine, vaccinations can occasionally cause mild reactions. These reactions can include pain, redness and swelling where the shot was given. Infants can be fussy for 24 to 48 hours after a shot and may also sometimes experience a low-grade fever. These are common and expected side effects and not cause for concern. If your child experiences high fever, swelling of the throat, behavior changes, dizziness, wheezing, hoarseness, difficulty breathing, hives or a fast heart rate, call your pediatrician immediately for an evaluation of your child’s health.

Vaccines are generally quite safe and the protection provided by vaccines far outweighs the very small risk of serious problems. In regard to vaccinations and autism, there is no medical evidence that vaccines cause autism. Dr. Andrew Wakefield first promoted this controversial connection in 1998, but he has since admitted that he fabricated the findings he said proved a link between vaccinations and autism.

For more information on vaccinations and your child’s health, or to find a pediatrician, visit
http://www.rosepediatrics.com.


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