| Publications > Fact Sheets > General
Ten Things You Need to Know about Immunizations
- Why
your child should be immunized
Children need
immunizations (shots) to protect them from
dangerous childhood diseases. These diseases
can have serious complications and even kill
children. More...
- Diseases
that childhood vaccines prevent
Note: Also
available are audio, text-only, and other
language versions of the Vaccine
Information Sheets.
- Number
of doses your child needs
The following
vaccinations are recommended by age two and
can be given over five visits to a doctor
or clinic:
- 4 doses
of diphtheria, tetanus & pertussis
vaccine (DTaP)
- 3-4 doses
of Hib vaccine (depending on the brand used)
- 4 doses
of pneumococcal vaccine
- 3 doses
of polio vaccine
- 2 doses
of hepatitis A vaccine
- 3 doses
of hepatitis B vaccine
- 1 dose
of measles, mumps & rubella vaccine
(MMR)
- 3 doses
of rotavirus vaccine
- 1 dose
of varicella vaccine
- 2-3 doses of influenza vaccine (6 months and older) (number of doses depends on child's birthday)
Recommended
doses can also be viewed in chart form. And, concerns about multiple vaccines given in one visit are addressed.
- Like
any medicine, there may be minor side effects
Side effects
can occur with any medicine, including vaccines.
Depending on the vaccine, these can include:
slight fever, rash, or soreness at the site
of injection. Slight discomfort is normal
and should not be a cause for alarm. Your
health care provider can give you additional
information. More...
- It's
extremely rare, but vaccines can cause serious
reactions -- weigh the risks!
Serious reactions
to vaccines are extremely rare. The risks
of serious disease from not vaccinating are
far greater than the risks of serious reaction
to a vaccination. More...
- What
to do if your child has a serious reaction.
If you think
your child is experiencing a persistent or
severe reaction, call your doctor or get
the child to a doctor right away. Write down
what happened and the date and time it happened.
Ask your doctor, nurse or health department
to file a Vaccine Adverse Event Report form
or call 1-800-338-2382 to file this form
yourself. More...
- Why
you should not wait to vaccinate
Children
under 5 are especially susceptible to disease
because their immune systems have not built
up the necessary defenses to fight infection.
By immunizing on time (by age 2), you can
protect your child from disease and also
protect others at school or daycare. More...
- Be
sure to track your shots via a health record
A vaccination
health record helps you and your healthcare
provider keep your child's vaccinations on
schedule. If you move or change providers,
having an accurate record might prevent your
child from repeating vaccinations he or she
has already had. A shot record should
be started when your child receives his/her
first vaccination and updated with each vaccination
visit. More...
- Some
are eligible for free vaccinations
A federal
program called Vaccines for Children provides
free vaccines to eligible children, including
those without health insurance coverage,
all those who are enrolled in Medicaid, American
Indians and Alaskan Natives. More...
- More
information is available.
- General
immunization questions can be answered
by
The CDC Contact Center at 1-800-CDC-INFO
(1-800-232-4636) English and Español
- Questions
about vaccines and vaccine-preventable
diseases frequently asked by people calling
the TTY Service Hotline can be viewed in
American Sign Language at 1-888-232-6348 (TTY
hotline)
http://www.vaccines.ashastd.org/ttyservice.htm
- More...
(email, mailing address, etc.)
|
