Infant Immunization Week

klstorytime
Apr 21, 2016
2 min read

This Week (April 16-23 2016) is National Infant Immunization Week

This year's theme:

Tell us why you vaccinate

Did you know that there are 14 vaccine - preventable diseases??

Amazingly, there are 25 shots recommended in the first 15 months of life!! No wonder parents have problems keeping up with the schedule. At the bottom of this page are websites links that may help you keep track.

The Healthychildren.org website has a great Q&A page that may answer some of your questions about vaccines.

Did you know that top disease experts and doctors decide what to recommend to best protect children in the United States. Review of the schedule is done yearly and changed if necessary.

The schedule of dosing is based on two factors. First, when is the immune system best able to handle the vaccine and protect children. Coupled with when is the earliest age possible to give the vaccine.

There are a lot of shots needed early in life. Some parents may be concerned that the immune system is overwhelmed with so many shots. However, kids are exposed every day to germs. It is estimated that kids are exposed to 2,000-6,000 germs (sometimes called antigens) every day. The current immunization schedule has far less antigens introduced to kids.

Some diseases require several shots for full immunization. Researchers are always at work reviewing what works best.

The topic of vaccination is highly debated. If you desire more information on vaccines, please visit:

https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/immunization/Pages/campaigns.aspx

or

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/