Why immunize?
Most ask this question because they are confused by the messages in the media. On the one hand, we are told that thanks to vaccines some diseases are almost gone from the U.S. But on the other hand, we are warned to immunize our children, ourselves as adults, and the elderly.

It's true, some diseases (e.g., polio and diphtheria) are becoming very rare in the U.S., largely because we have been vaccinating against them. But it is still reasonable to ask whether it's really worthwhile to keep vaccinating.

Keep immunizing until disease is eliminated: Unless we can eliminate the disease, it is important to keep immunizing. Even if there are only a few cases of disease today, if we take away the protection given by vaccination, more and more people will get infected and spread disease to others, and soon we will have undone the progress we made over the years.

Is it better to be naturally infected rather than vaccinated?
No. Vaccine-preventable diseases can kill; cause permanent disabilities such as paralysis from polio, liver damage or liver cancer from hepatitis B infection, and deafness from meningitis caused by several bacteria (Hib, pneumococci, and meningococci). In addition, brain damage can result from measles, Hib meningitis, or pertussis. If a woman gets rubella while pregnant, her baby could have serious birth defects. Vaccines allow a person to be protected from the disease without experiencing the serious adverse effects of that illness.

Immunity from a vaccine offers protection against future disease that is similar to immunity acquired from a natural infection, although several doses of a vaccine may have to be given for a child to have a full immune response.

What if we stopped vaccinating?
Before long we would see epidemics of diseases that are nearly under control today. Without vaccines, the diseases we are now protected from would return. Thousands of children would become sick, some would have long-lasting health problems, and some would die.

Other countries do not have the same levels of immunization that we benefit from in the United States. Therefore, we must all remain protected with vaccines because dangerous diseases largely under control in the United States are only a plane ride away.

We don't vaccinate just to protect our children. We also vaccinate to protect our grandchildren and their grandchildren. Our children don't have to get smallpox shots any more because the disease no longer exists. If we keep vaccinating now, parents in the future might be able to look back at the "old days" when we had diseases like polio and measles for which children had to get vaccinated.

How many shots does my child need?
The following vaccinations are recommended by age two and can be given over five visits to a doctor or clinic:

4 doses of diphtheria, tetanus & pertussis vaccine (DTaP)
4 doses of Hib vaccine
3 doses of polio vaccine
3 doses of hepatitis B vaccine
4 doses of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine
1 dose of measles, mumps & rubella vaccine (MMR)
1 dose of varicella vaccine

Is true that vaccines can cause side effects?
Yes. Vaccines can cause side effects or adverse events, especially when vaccines are administered to millions of people. Because individual immune systems react differently, there are rare occasions when people may experience side effects as a result of an immunization, medical procedure, or medication. Side effects, from an immunization, can range from skin redness and warmth (caused by the injection) to more serious effects, including damage of the central nervous system, or death. However, the possibility of such a serious event is extremely small. The risk of contracting a vaccine-preventable disease is far greater than dying from an immunization.

Can giving a child multiple vaccinations for different diseases at the same time increase the risk of harmful side effects and overload the immune system?
Many parents worry when their child needs to receive more than one vaccine at the same time. Available scientific data show that vaccination with multiple vaccines at the same time has no adverse effect on the normal childhood immune system.

A number of studies have been conducted to examine the effects of giving various combinations of vaccines at the same time. In fact, neither the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) nor the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) would recommend the simultaneous administration of any vaccines until such studies showed the combinations to be both safe and effective. These studies have shown that the recommended vaccines are as effective in combination as they are individually, and that such combinations carry no greater risk for adverse side effects.

Consequently, both the ACIP and AAP recommend simultaneous administration of all routine childhood vaccines when appropriate. Research is under way to find ways to combine more antigens in a single vaccine injection (for example, MMR and chickenpox). This will provide all the advantages of the individual vaccines, but will require fewer shots.

There are two practical factors in favor of giving a child several vaccinations during the same visit. First, we want to immunize children as early as possible to give them protection during the vulnerable early months of their lives. This generally means giving inactivated vaccines beginning at 2 months and live vaccines at 12 months. The various vaccine doses thus tend to fall due at the same time. Second, giving several vaccinations at the same time will mean fewer office visits for vaccinations, which saves parents both time and money and may be less traumatic for the child.

What should be done if someone has a reaction to a vaccine?
Call a doctor. If the person is having a severe reaction take him or her to a doctor right away. After any reaction, tell your doctor what happened, the date and time it happened, and when the vaccination was given. Ask your doctor, nurse, or health department to file a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) form, or call VAERS yourself at 1-800-822-7967. In the rare event that a vaccine injures a child, he or she may be compensated through the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). For more information about VICP, click here or call 1-800-338-2382.

During an outbreak, aren't the majority of people who catch a disease those who have been vaccinated?
Although vaccines have very high effectiveness rates, they are not completely effective for 100% of the people who receive them. For example, a full series of measles vaccine will protect 99 of 100 children from measles, and polio vaccine will protect 99 of 100 children from polio. This means that when there is a disease outbreak, the very small number of people for whom the vaccine did not work may still be able to catch the disease. Because almost all of our children are immunized, and only few are not, it can be the case that during an epidemic the majority of cases occur among children who were immunized. However, the fact remains that those who have not received the vaccine are much more likely to catch the disease.

Resources:
National Immunization Program
National Vaccine Program Office
National Network for Immunization

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