None of us want to see our children get sick. If we could, we would protect them from any illness, no matter how small – even the sniffles. Suppose you could make your child safe from some of the most deadly diseases in history and help protect other children from the same diseases. You can do all of these things – with one of the easiest, and yet most powerful, health tools ever developed – immunizations.
Why should my child be immunized?
Immunizations protect your child against serious diseases. Immunizations are given as a shot. The words vaccination and immunization mean the same thing.
Vaccines won't prevent children from getting minor illnesses like colds, but they can keep children safe from many serious diseases. Without immunizations, your child could get very sick.
What diseases do immunizations prevent?
- Hepatitis A & B
- Diphtheria
- Pertussis (Whooping Cough)
- Tetanus (Lockjaw)
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib disease - a major cause of bacterial meningitis)
- Pneumococcal disease (causes bacterial meningitis and blood infections)
- Polio
- Measles
- Mumps
- Rubella (German Measles)
- Varicella (Chickenpox)
How do immunizations work?
Immunizations help your child’s immune system develop protection against future infections, the same as if he or she had been exposed to the natural disease. The good news is, with vaccines, your child doesn’t have to get sick to get that protection.
Do vaccines always work?
Vaccines work most of the time, but not always. Most childhood immunizations give immunity to 90 percent to 99 percent of the children who get them.
Isn't all this talk about diseases just a way to scare parents so they'll bring their children in for immunizations?
No! People still die from these diseases. From 1989 through 1991, more than 150 people in the United States died from measles, and thousands more were permanently damaged by the disease.
Children in the United States also continue to die from chickenpox. When children get measles, chickenpox and other diseases that vaccines could have prevented, they can suffer from brain damage, hearing loss, heart problems and lung damage.
How many times do I need to take my child in for immunizations?
Your child needs at least five visits to the doctor for immunizations before he or she is two years old. All these visits are necessary because there are 12 potentially serious diseases your child needs to be protected against and most require several doses of a vaccine for full protection. Your child also will need immunizations between the ages of 4 and 6, and then again when he or she is 11 to12 years old.
What if my child is older than two? Is it too late to get him or her immunized?
No. Although it's best to have your child immunized as a baby, it's never too late to start. If your child has not received his or her shots, now is a good time to start.
What if my child has a cold, a fever or is taking antibiotics? Can he or she still get immunized?
Yes. Your child can be immunized if he or she has a mild illness such as a cold, a slight fever or is taking antibiotics. Talk to your doctor or nurse if you have questions.
What if I miss an appointment? Does my child have to start all over on his or her vaccinations?
No. If your child misses some immunizations, it's not necessary to start over. Your doctor or clinic will continue the shots from where they left off.
Are immunizations safe?
Like any other medicine they occasionally can cause reactions. Usually these are mild, like a sore arm or a slight fever. Serious reactions are rare, but they can happen. Your doctor or nurse can discuss the risks with you before your child gets his or her shots. The important thing to remember is that getting the diseases immunizations prevent is much more dangerous than getting the vaccines.
What do I do if my child has a serious reaction to a vaccine?
If you think your child is experiencing a persistent or severe reaction, call your doctor or take the child to a doctor right away.
In the rare event your child has a reaction to an immunization or even if you think a vaccine may have caused a medical problem your child has, the problem should be reported to VAERS. VAERS stands for the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, which is the system for reporting injuries suspected of being caused by vaccines.
If your child has any unusual illness or reaction after getting a vaccine, whether or not you think the vaccine was the cause, ask your doctor to file a VAERS form. Very often the reactions reported to VAERS turn out not to have been caused by the vaccine at all, but occurred after the vaccination simply by chance. That is okay. One of the purposes of VAERS is to collect data in order to spot patterns that might help researchers identify previously unknown side effects, or to show that some reactions are not caused by vaccines. You can also report a vaccine reaction to VAERS yourself by calling 1-800-822-7967.
How do I know when to take my child in for immunizations?
If you are not sure, call your doctor, a health clinic or the Texas Children’s Immunization Helpline at 832-824-2061 for information about when immunizations are due.
Start a shot record when your child receives his or her first vaccination and update it with each immunization visit or enroll your child in an immunization registry, such as the Houston-Harris County Immunization Registry (HCCIR). The record helps you and your health care provider keep your child’s immunizations on schedule. If you move or change providers, having an accurate record may prevent your child from repeating or missing an immunization.
