Vaccines prepare a child's body to fight illness, according to KidsHealth.org. When your child receives a vaccination, he receives dead or weakened germs, or parts of them. As the body practices fighting these germs, it creates antibodies that recognize the parts of the germ injected, providing a permanent or long-lasting defense against the actual disease. Unfortunately, many people have misinformation about vaccines and opt not to immunize their children
Conflicting Information
Parents often turn to the Internet, television, magazines and books to find information on vaccinations. Unfortunately, few parents have a background in microbiology, epidemiology, immunology or statistics to fully evaluate the information they find. When searching for information regarding vaccines or other scientific health information, look to organizations that have committees of experts passionately devoted to your child's health and well-being, such the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Academy of Pediatrics or Infectious Disease Society of America.
Safety
Vaccines must meet the highest safety standards, according to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. As with all medications, vaccines do carry a slight risk. Most children suffer only mild side effects, such as fever or tenderness or swelling at the injection site. Your child does have a slight chance of experiencing severe reactions, such as inconsolable crying or seizures with a high fever. However, the risk associated with receiving a vaccine is much lower than the risk associated with contracting the diseases prevented by the vaccines.
When Not To Give
Some children should not receive vaccines. If your child suffers from cancer or other serious conditions or take drugs designed to lower the body's immune function, she should receive vaccinations, according to FamilyDoctor.org. Should your child have a serious reaction to the first in a series of shots, talk to your doctor about the pros and cons of giving your child the rest of those shots.
Necessity
Preventable diseases remain at a low level, because most people receive immunizations, limiting the number of people who can spread the disease, according to Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska. This also decreases the possibility of those not vaccinated from contracting a disease. However, when fewer people receive immunizations, more people can spread a disease, and more outbreaks of a disease occur.
Effectiveness
Vaccinations protect 85 to 95 percent of the people who receive them, according to the Creighton center. If your child does not respond fully to the vaccine, he may contract a milder form of the disease if exposed. Fortunately, this milder reaction rarely results in serious complications. Your child may also lose his immunity to a particular disease after a number of years, making him susceptible to the disease if exposed.
Choosing Vaccines
When you separate, withhold or space out the vaccines your child receives, you increase the length of time she can contract a disease and increase her stress level due to extra doctor visits, according to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The vaccination schedule results from research proving when a child has the greatest chance of contracting a disease and when a child's immune system will generate the greatest immune response.
References
- Family Doctor: Childhood Vaccines--What They Are And Why Your Child Needs Them
- Creighton University Medical Center: Necessity
- Creighton University Medical Center: Effectiveness
- Children's Hospital Of Philadelphia: The Facts About Childhood Vaccines
- KidsHealth.org: Frequently Asked Questions About Vaccinations
