The Importance of Vaccinations

Vaccinations are an important form of primary prevention. They aid the immune system and teach it how to recognize and eliminate any dangerous pathogens in the body. A popular discussion among parents today is what is the importance of vaccinations? Does my child really need to be vaccinated? To answer that, yes. Vaccines protect not only your child but the community from getting serious illnesses. It allows us to control diseases that were once life threatening such as:

• Measles
• Polio
• Tetanus
• Whooping cough

Vaccines are given during childhood to help protect their young immune systems. If parents were to not vaccinate their child, the possibility of certain diseases become more likely and can endanger other people’s lives. Many claim that vaccinations can cause autism and as a result end up not vaccinating their children. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), studies have shown that there is no direct link between vaccines, the ingredients in vaccines and autism.

Regardless of what the internet or others may say, vaccines are considered to be safe. They undergo numerous tests and many rounds of examination before they are released to the public. Besides autism, many are often scared of the side effects as well. Side effects are very rare and if they do occur, they are typically mild. The greatest risk of all is if you choose to not vaccinate your child. The illness may be far worse than the side effects and can potentially lead to death.

Types of Vaccines

Due to the advanced technology, there are several types vaccines that have been created.  The vaccines are designed to teach your immune system how to fight off serious diseases. There are four main types of vaccines:

• Live-attenuated vaccines
• Inactivated vaccines
• Toxoid Vaccines
• Subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide, and conjugate vaccines

Vaccines are a lifelong defense against illness. Many are given during childhood and are administered in pediatric offices by Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, and Registered Nurses. If you were to have any questions about the importance of vaccinations, it is best that you contact your local pediatrician and speak with them. They will be able to answer any of your questions or concerns and provide you with more information.

Vaccination Schedule

Provided by Stanford Children’s Health, below is a vaccination schedule recommended by the age of 2:

• 1 vaccination for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR)
• 4 vaccinations for haemophilus influenza (Hib)
  • A common upper respiratory infection that can cause meningitis
• 3-4 polio vaccinations (IPV)
• 4 vaccinations for diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DPT)
• 3 vaccinations for hepatitis B
• 1 vaccination for varicella (Chickenpox)
• 3 vaccinations for rotavirus
  • A type of infection that causes severe diarrhea
• 4 vaccinations for pneumococcal disease
  • A common cause of ear infections and pneumonia

It is important to vaccinate your children because we can put an end to certain diseases and protect our future. If we were to ever stop administering them, diseases that are almost unknown would make a comeback. More children and others would get sick and many lives can be lost. If you were to ever consider to not vaccinate your child, I encourage you to take a step back. Think of the importance of vaccinations and the impact it has made in not only the community but the world.