Vaccines are not without side effects, and that includes the cervical cancer vaccine, Gardasil. Cervical cancer has been linked to certain strains of the Human papilloma virus (HPV), and the Gardasil vaccine protects against HPV. Essentially, the...
The risks of not vaccinating children include exposing your children to a variety of severe diseases. It is the choice of the parents whether to vaccinate their children. Consult a doctor, pediatrician or an immunization coordinator at your local...
In July 2010, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, issued professional guidelines updating its 2009 recommendations for an immunization campaign to reduce the spread of influenza. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and...
Vaccines are generally required in order for children to enter public school and attend child care programs. A medical waiver not to vaccinate can be signed and utilized in some school districts. As a parent or caregiver, you should know what...
Before the introduction of the polio vaccine, an average of 16,316 people in the U.S. contracted polio every year, but in 2008 not a single person living in the U.S. contracted the disease, according to the National Institute of Allergy and...
Meningitis, an infection of the membranes (called meninges) and fluid that surround the brain and spinal cord, may be caused by either a bacterial or viral infection. Viral meningitis is usually not severe and resolves on its own. Bacterial...
There is often criticism of childhood vaccinations and their use to prevent serious illnesses. People often wonder why they need to continue to vaccinate their children against polio--no one gets polio anymore! The reason that there is no longer...
According to Harvard Medical School, Edward Jenner who was a country physician from England created the first vaccine in 1796. Jenner developed the small pox vaccine, which changed the course of this deadly disease. Since that time, many other...
Many parents of children with autism believe there is a link between autism and early childhood vaccinations, with special emphasis on the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella. This belief began anecdotally as some...
Your baby's doctor likely wants to give her a series of vaccinations during the first year of life and beyond, but you may have heard conflicting reports on whether it's necessary, or even safe. There are a variety of side effects that can occur...
The recommendation for the 2010-2011 flu season in the United States is to vaccinate all pregnant women in all stages of pregnancy, even healthy women with no medical concerns. This has been supported by the American College of Obstetricians and...
Keeping your baby's immune system strong and healthy is the best way to prevent infections from any of the millions of germs she is exposed to every day. A strong immune system will also reduce your baby's chances of suffering an adverse vaccine...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have developed a recommended vaccination schedule for infants, with the majority of vaccines scheduled when the child is six to 18 months old. Many parents are justifiably concerned about exposing...
Hemophilus influenza type b, or Hib disease, can cause serious, sometimes life-threatening health problems in infants and young children. The Hib vaccine is very effective in preventing Hib disease. It is recommended for all children under five...
The bordetella bacteria is a microbe that causes kennel cough in dogs. The bacteria infection can be prevented through a vaccine. The vaccine is given to puppies intranasally, so it's limited pain for the pet.
Chickenpox is a fairly harmless and mild disease for most people, but in some it can be deadly. According to BabyCenter, before the vaccine for chickenpox was developed, between 100 to 150 people died as a result of chickenpox and over 10,000 were...
Before the introduction of polio vaccine, the U.S. reported 13,000 to 20,000 cases of paralytic polio each year. Although 95 percent of people infected with poliovirus show no signs of disease, the virus causes permanent paralysis--which can lead...
Hepatitis B is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 30 percent of the world's population has evidence of infection with HBV. In the United States, approximately 5...
As of 2010, there is no recommended vaccine to prevent human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV) infection, and many challenges remain for developing a vaccine. HIV is the infectious organism, which leads to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS);...
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended in 2006 that all adults age 60 or older get vaccinated against shingles. Shingles is caused by the virus that causes chicken pox, and contracting it as an adult can be very painful...
Tdap vaccine or the tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis vaccine helps prevent serious bacterial infections. According to Drugs.com, an online drug resource, this immunization exposes the recipient to a small amount of the bacteria causing...
Of the several types of hepatitis viruses that cause infection resulting in liver damage, only hepatitis types A and B can be prevented by vaccines. Twinrix, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, is the only vaccine to combine protection against...
Vaccinations are common during childhood but they're also somewhat controversial. According to KidsHealth website, some parents fear the effects of vaccine in the body and as a result question the idea of vaccinating their children. If you're...
The hepatitis B vaccine was introduced in the United States in 1981, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hepatitis B vaccination has been a routine part of childhood vaccination since 1991. Since the introduction of...
For many years vaccinations have helped prevent numerous diseases and deaths of children. These pediatric vaccines, usually given as shots or by mouth, were appreciated and welcomed by many parents. A concern has been, however, on the possible...
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, the best way to prevent flu infections is to get vaccinated each year. Yearly vaccinations are recommended as the formula changes each year in anticipation of newly...
Seasonal flu and H1N1 (swine flu) vaccines are available in the United States in intramuscular injection ("flu shot") and intranasal (nasal spray) forms. While the exact ingredients will differ slightly depending on the company that manufactured...
Vaccines work by introducing biological materials into the body to produce specific immunities. They are most effective when introduced several months before encountering microbes in a real-world setting. For instance, the influenza vaccine...
There are currently two vaccines approved for use in preventing meningococcal meningitis which is caused by the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis. The vaccines are the meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4) and the meningococcal polysaccharide...