 |
|
|
Information for Parents Why immunize? How do vaccines work? When should children get their shots? What if a child has already had chickenpox? Will vaccines make my child sick? Where should children go to get their shots? How and where can my child get free vaccines? How does my child's immunization record get tracked? Why immunize? Measles is the number one vaccine-preventable disease that kills infants worldwide. Failure to immunize can lead to new outbreaks of this disease. Between 1989 and 1991, a United States measles epidemic resulted in more than 55,000 reported cases, 11,000 hospitalizations and approximately 130 deaths. More than half of those deaths were infants. In the era before vaccines, millions of American children died from childhood diseases. Today children who are not immunized or up-to-date on their shots are still at risk of serious illness, particularly infants. Infants are more likely to suffer more complications - even death - if they contract vaccine-preventable disease.
As a parent, your children's health and safety are always on your mind. You know the value of safeguards like child-proof door latches, regular tooth brushing and pool-side security alarms. They are meant to prevent everything from minor illnesses to tragic death. Baby shots do the same thing - they work to safeguard your child from illness and death caused by infectious diseases. Vaccines help your baby's body prepare to fight deadly diseases.
Newborn babies are immune to some diseases because they have antibodies they got from their mothers. But this immunity does not last. It wears off in the first year of life. Fortunately, we can keep children immune to many diseases, even after they lose their mothers' antibodies. We do this by vaccinating them against those diseases. Vaccines give your baby's immune system the chance to practice and make protective antibodies before real germs invade. If left totally to chance, your baby's first exposure to a disease may be from a germ too strong for your baby to fight. That's why before parents had vaccines for their children, many children died from whooping cough, measles, diphtheria and other diseases. Those same germs exist today, but today's babies are protected by vaccines. What if a child has already had chickenpox? Children who have had the disease are considered immune. The law requires parental verification of disease on file at the school or child care facility for children who have had chickenpox.When should children get their shots? The childhood immunization series begins soon after birth and continues through adulthood, with special emphasis through age 2. Before a child starts school, they will need 6 visits to a health care provider for shots. Shots for teens are recommended at age 11-12. However, there is no need to wait. Shots can be given at earlier visits as long as they are age-appropriate.Will vaccines make my child sick? Most children have little or no problem after receiving shots. After the DTaP (diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis) vaccines, some children will experience a fever, and soreness, swelling or redness where the shot was given. Some children may also get cranky, drowsy, or lose their appetite. These problems are usually mild and disappear in a day or two.Where should children go to get shots? Children needing shots should go to their regular doctor, nurse, or health clinic. If they do not have a health care provider, a call to 1-800-SAFENET (723-3638) or in the Portland metro area, 503-988-5858, will provide information on where to get shots.How and where can my child get free vaccines? The Oregon Vaccines For Children Program (VFC) supplies federally-purchased, routine childhood vaccines at no cost to public and private providers to administer to patients who are:
For more info: Call (503) 731-4020. How does my child's immunization record get tracked? Most children receive their immunizations at more than one provider. This makes keeping a complete immunization record difficult. Oregon ALERT is a statewide program that keeps track of children's immunization records in one location, so that providers and parents will have immediate access to the child's full immunization record, regardless of how many different places a child received his or her shots. In the future, ALERT will help parents and guardians know when to immunize their children according to proper immunization schedules by sending reminders in the form of postcards or automated phone calls. This will improve immunization rates by keeping parents current on the dates when their children need to receive further immunizations. |
|
