The Benefits And Risks Of Childhood Immunizations

A very important method of protecting young children from a multitude of serious diseases is the use of immunizations. If you are worried about your child getting these immunizations, take some time to understand the benefits and risks of the vaccines.

Potentially fatal diseases are most likely to occur when children are very young. Vaccines are given to children under school-age to help build up their delicate immune systems against these diseases. If you wait until school-age to vaccinate these diseases may have already taken their toll on your child’s health and many children may never reach school age. There would be a return to a high infant mortality rate.

Each state requires an immunization record that usually has to be met before your child can enter school. You may need the proof of the immunization record at the time of registration. Your local school system can provide you with the current state laws and immunization requirements. If your religion prohibits immunization, most states also provide a religious-exception clause.

Immunity from the vaccine is usually as strong as immunity following the natural disease. Serious childhood diseases also may leave your child with a permanent disability or even death. The vaccines can be administered without risk of serious effects.

Some vaccines will require booster shots. These include:

•Tetanus shots
•Pertussis shots

These vaccines do not provide lifelong immunity. The booster shots are necessary to keep the immune system built up against these diseases. Regular booster shots also keep as much of the population as possible vaccine-protected, which establishes “herd” immunity. Herd immunity is when an individual has a lowered risk of catching a disease, not just because he or she has been immunized, but because so many others have been immunized. This leaves few people left who can spread the disease.

Combination vaccines are provided only after years of research and testing proves them to be safe. Children survive constant exposure to many different germs daily. They can handle the introduction of several weakened or killed disease strains in a vaccine at the same time.

Times when your child should not be vaccinated include:

•If your child has a serious illness, it may be important to postpone the vaccination until he or she has recovered (and this is for certain vaccines, your doctor will decide)
•If a child develops a life-threatening reaction to a particular vaccine, further doses of that particular vaccine should not be given

The common cold, sore throat or ear infection is not a reason to postponing vaccinations.

You should not skip recommended vaccines as this could leave you child vulnerable to the serious disease that could otherwise be avoided. If you are worried or concerned about vaccinations, consult with your child’s doctors about these concerns.

Common side effects of vaccines include:

•Low-grade fever
•Soreness at the injection site

Only under rare circumstances, your child may experience:

•Serious allergic reactions
•Neurological side effects

Keep in mind that for healthy children, the benefits of vaccine protection outweighs the rare risks of vaccination.
Serious reactions are extremely rare, however, if your child does experience a serious reaction, contact your doctor immediately or go to your nearest emergency room facility.

Source: Mayo Clinic

Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. You should not use the information in this article to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your pediatrician or family doctor. Please consult a doctor with any questions or concerns you might have regarding your or your child’s condition.

This article is FREE to publish with the resource box.

Article Source: http://www.healthandwellnesscentral.com

Written by: Connie Limon. Visit us at www.babiesandtoddlers1.com About Babies and Toddlers is a collection of articles all about babies and toddlers available for information, education and FREE reprints to your newsletters, websites or blogs.

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