FAQ's about Vaccines

1)Why do we give our children so many shots? Is it safe to give multiple vaccines in one visit?

        Vaccines are the best way to prevent diseases, which can cause pneumonia, meningitis, and even death. Children are given vaccines at a young age because this is when they are most likely to get the disease. If a child is not vaccinated and is exposed to a disease, the child's body may not be strong enough to fight the disease. But an infant's body can handle the small number of weakened and killed viruses in vaccines.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the AAP recommend vaccination against 12 diseases. Because children need some of these vaccines more than once, children may receive up to 23 shots by the time they are 2 years old. A child may receive up to 6 shots during one visit to the doctor.

    Even though children may receive many shots, they are exposed to smaller doses of the killed or weakened virus in vaccines. Studies show that it is safe to give a child multiple vaccinations in one visit. The scientific data show that receiving multiple vaccines has no harmful effect on a normal child's immune system.

2) Haven't we gotten rid of most of these diseases in this country?

    Thanks to vaccines, most diseases prevented by vaccines are no longer common in this country. Even the few cases we have in the U.S. could very quickly become tens or hundreds of thousands of cases if we stopped vaccinating.
    It's not uncommon to have measles outbreaks, whooping cough outbreaks, chickenpox outbreaks, and other diseases when vaccination rates drop. Kids that are not fully vaccinated can become seriously sick and spread it through a community.

3) Is it true that there is mercury in vaccines? What effect would that have on my child?

    First of all, there is NO scientific data showing a link between mercury and any childhood disorder. No one has ever shown that small amounts of mercury in vaccines caused harm.

    Additionally, THERE IS CURRENTLY NO MERCURY IN ANY VACCINE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN. In 1999, the Public Health Service and the AAP recommended that it be taken out as a precaution.

4) How can I comfort my baby during vaccination?

    Parents can do several things to comfort their baby during immunizations:

        -Be prepared: Take your baby's immunization record, read the Vaccine Information Statements and ask your pediatrician questions.

        - Stay calm: Your baby can pick up feelings from your expressions and body language.

        - Be supportive: Talk soothingly, make eye contact with and smile at your baby.

        - Be attentive: Review the Vaccine Information Sheet when you get home. Give your baby plenty of fluids and call your pediatrician if you see a reaction that concerns you.

5) I got chickenpox and was fine. Why should my child receive the varicella vaccine?

    Chickenpox is a common childhood disease. It is usually mild but sometimes can be very serious. Complications can include:

    - Pneumonia

    - encephalitis (brain disease)

    - 'flesh-eating' bacterial infection

    - death

    If an immunized person gets chickenpox, the illness will be much milder than in a non-immunized person. Varicella vaccine protects children now and as adults, when they will be much more likely to die from chickenpox and its complications. There are only a few cases of the disease now but without immunization that number will rise.

6) Does the MMR vaccine cause autism?

    NO! Scientific data does not show a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Autism is usually discovered when a child is 18-30 months. Children get the MMR vaccine just before this age, so some people believe the MMR vaccine causes autism. These people often have wrong information. For example, in 1998, Andrew Wakefield published a small study saying that MMR caused inflammatory bowel disease and autism. Later his results were rejected because the study had mistakes. Even his co-authors agreed that the results were wrong. No other studies can find a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Because of the study, many British parents refuse to let their children get the vaccine. Now there are outbreaks of measles and mumps in areas where many children are not vaccinated.

    Other studies have been done and none have found a link between MMR vaccine and autism. In 2004, a report by the Institute of Medicine Immunization Safety Review Committee again said that there is no link between autism and the MMR vaccine. Some parents still question vaccine safety because the media gives false claims a lot of attention and the Internet has wrong information that is easy to find. Measles, mumps and rubella are serious- protect your children by immunizing them at 12-15 months of age and again at 4-6 years of age. Find out more information here!

7) Don't infants have natural immunity?

    Babies get some temporary immunity (protection) from mom during the last few weeks of pregnancy—but only for the diseases mom is immune to.These antibodies do not last long, leaving the infant vulnerable to disease.

8) Can't I just wait until my child goes to school to catch up on immunizations?

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