Your immune system constantly changes and updates as you come into contact with various disease causing invaders throughout your lifetime. However, as an infant, you're only protected by the few temporary antibodies provided by your mother, and must then make your own antibodies as your immune system grows and matures. To help in this process, vaccines continue to be made available starting at as young as two months.
Contraction Risk
The primary goal of an immunization is to prevent the contraction of disease. This is especially important for infants who are born without a fully developed immune system or the antibodies needed to fight of potentially dangerous illnesses. Common vaccines that help reduce or prevent risks of contraction include hepatitis B, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine or PCV, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, haemophilus influenzae type b, polio, and several more. Talk to your doctor about what vaccines your child specifically needs during his infant years.
Spread Risk
Another important aspect of getting your child vaccinated is decreasing the risk of spreading disease to others. While your primary goal of infant vaccinations may be to protect your own child, getting her vaccinated also helps protect other children and in some cases adults from catching disease from your child.
Long Term Benefits
Vaccinations not only provide short-term benefits by preventing the immediate effects of disease, but they also prevent the potentially devastating long-term side effects from disease. While an infant may overcome and survive a disease without a vaccination, certain diseases can cause long-lasting effects. For example, diseases like chickenpox, whooping cough and infections of the Haemophilus influenzae type b bacteria, all have potential for causing permanent mental retardation due to rare side effects of the diseases. Other diseases can attack and cause damage to organs, joints, bones and other tissues throughout your infants body that can last the rest of her life. These side effects could be prevented by vaccinating your infant during the recommended time periods for each vaccine.
Controversy
Vaccines are not without controversy, especially in the United States. One of the most common concerns is the claimed connection between vaccinations and the development of autism, as well as concerns over possibly mercury exposure from vaccines. While scientific reports have not been able to full connect autism to vaccines, there is no worry regarding mercury content, as the Food and Drug Administration enforced the removal of mercury as a preservative from all childhood vaccines in 2001. If you have any concerns over vaccinations for your infant, talk to your pediatrician.
References
- Kids Health from Nemours: Your Child's Immunizations
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Common Questions Parents Ask about Infant Immunizations
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: How Vaccines Prevent Disease
- Immunize.org; Clear Answers & Smart Advice About Your Baby's Shots; Ari Brown, MD, FAAP
- AAFP; National Infant Immunization Week Highlights Importance of Vaccinations; David Mitchell; April, 2009
