Come on Baby, Don’t Fear the Vaccine: Infant Immunizations Are a Must

<p>Childhood immunizations are one of public healthcare’s all-time greatest feats. These technologies have prevented millions of illnesses and deaths across the world. For wee ones, their immune systems are only developing, so vaccines provide much-needed protection against a range of potentially serious or even fatal diseases.</p> <p>Here’s why infant immunization is critical.</p> <h2>Why is infant immunization important?</h2> <p>There are more benefits than just directly protecting your baby when it comes to immunization. You’re also doing a service to other families, your community, and public health more broadly.</p> <h3>Protects against serious diseases</h3> <p>Infants are especially vulnerable to infections because of their immature immune systems, and vaccines help their bodies spot and fight off harmful pathogens before they can do damage. </p> <h3>Preventing complications</h3> <p>Vaccine-preventable diseases can lead to severe complications, hospitalizations, and possibly death in infants. Measles, whooping cough, and meningitis threaten terrifying complications like brain damage and pneumonia. </p> <p>Immunization hugely decreases the risk of your infant experiencing these outcomes.</p> <figure><img alt="Reasons to Vaccinate Your Child | Source: CDC" class="img-responsive" src="https://cdn.storymd.com/optimized/MANGa4fNol/thumbnail.jpg" /> <figcaption>Reasons to Vaccinate Your Child. <em>Source: CDC</em></figcaption> </figure> <h3>Community protection</h3> <p>Getting immunized not only protects the individual; it contributes to herd immunity as well. By vaccinating a sufficiently large enough percentage of the population, we pull the rug out from underneath infectious diseases and their attempt to spread. </p> <p>Herd immunity means they are unable to freely hop from one host to another, so we ultimately offer each other mutual protection by going in on vaccination together. This is vital for the small minority of folks who cannot get vaccinated for medical reasons. They are relying on other people getting vaccinated to be protected from the spread.</p> <h3>Cost-effective</h3> <p>It’s a lot cheaper to get vaccinated than treat the diseases that follow when you don’t. At scale, the economic burden on hospitals and systems is considerable.</p> <h2>Recommended vaccines for infants</h2> <p>The CDC and the WHO recommend a series of vaccinations for kids to protect them against an array of diseases. The vaccines typically recommended during the first two years of life include:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Hepatitis B.</strong> Given at birth, 1-2 months, and 6-18 months.</li> <li><strong>Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP).</strong> Given at 2, 4, and 6 months. Booster doses are given later in childhood.</li> <li><strong>Hemophilus influenzae type b (Hib).</strong> Administered at 2, 4, and 6 months, with a booster dose at 12-15 months.</li> <li><strong>Pneumococcal conjugate (PCV13).</strong> Given at 2, 4, 6, and 12-15 months.</li> <li><strong>Polio (IPV).</strong> Given at 2 and 4 months, with a booster dose at 6-18 months.</li> <li><strong>Rotavirus (RV).</strong> Administered orally at 2, 4, and 6 months.</li> <li><strong>Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR).</strong> Given at 12-15 months, and then a second dose at 4-6 years.</li> <li><strong>Varicella (chickenpox).</strong> Given at 12-15 months, and then a second dose at 4-6 years.</li> <li><strong>Hepatitis A (Hep A).</strong> Given in 2 doses: the first at 12-23 months, and the second at least 6 months later.</li> </ul> <figure><img alt="Immunization Schedule birth-6 years of age | Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/Wikimedia" class="img-responsive" src="https://cdn.storymd.com/optimized/JdPY0XUjq3/thumbnail.jpg" /> <figcaption>Childhood Immunization Schedule. <em>Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/Wikimedia</em></figcaption> </figure> <h2>Vaccine safety and side effects</h2> <h3>Extensive testing</h3> <p>The net benefit of vaccines is unquestionable, although side effects do exist. The vast majority of them are mild and short-lived, with low-grade fever and redness or swelling at the injection site being the most common. </p> <p>Contrary to all the bluster and fearmongering online, serious adverse effects are rare. Before any vaccine is approved for use, it undergoes rigorous examination in clinical trials to determine its safety and efficacy. </p> <h3>Monitoring</h3> <p>Even after mountains of testing, scientists continue to closely monitor vaccines to rapidly identify and catch any safety issues.</p> <h3>Rare side effects</h3> <p>Serious side effects of vaccines are extremely rare. Severe allergic reactions and febrile seizures are among the possibilities, but the risk is extremely low.</p> <h3>Vaccine ingredients</h3> <p>What goes into a vaccine is the subject of careful selection that is put through extensive safety evaluations. Common ingredients like aluminum salts and formaldehyde have been studied thoroughly and are considered safe according to the amounts used in vaccines.</p> <h3>A final word on safety</h3> <p>It’s natural to have concerns as a parent, but the benefits of vaccines far outweigh the extremely unlikely risks. If you have any concerns, don’t be afraid to bring them up with your pediatrician or doctor.</p> <h2>More on Infant Immunizations</h2><ul><li><a href="https://soulivity.storymd.com/journal/j6yodr2fzw-child-and-adolescent-immunization-schedule" target="_blank">Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule</a></li><li><a href="https://soulivity.storymd.com/journal/wlayqq40em-vaccine-preventable-childhood-diseases" target="_blank">Vaccine Preventable Childhood Diseases: What You Need to Know</a></li><li><a href="https://soulivity.storymd.com/journal/wepdz3kh5j-vaccine-safety" target="_blank">Vaccine Safety</a></li></ul>