Vaccinations are important for our children – and our future
You want to keep your child as healthy as possible, and you know how important vaccinations are. But today more people are questioning whether they are actually safe. Should you vaccinate your child or not?
Give your baby a healthy start
Back-to-school vaccines are important
You’ve probably heard that there’s a chance that vaccinations can cause autism in children. Many doctors and scientists have studied whether there is a link between vaccines and autism. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most of the evidence shows that vaccines are not associated with autism. The benefits of vaccines still outweigh any risks.
The truth is, vaccinations make the world a much safer place. Smallpox no longer exists anywhere in the world because of vaccinations. Other diseases, like polio and diphtheria, are becoming very rare in the United States because we have been vaccinating against them.
It is very important to make sure your child is vaccinated. The more children who are vaccinated against diseases like measles, chicken pox and whooping cough, the better chance we have of ending these diseases completely.
We don't vaccinate just to protect our children. We also vaccinate to protect our grandchildren and their grandchildren. Vaccinations are one of the best ways to put an end to certain diseases.
Give your baby a healthy start
Infant vaccination is one of the most beneficial, low-risk and cost-effective ways to protect your baby from dangerous diseases. It is important that infants are vaccinated by age two.
Every child should have at least six well child visits during the first 15 months of life, where they will receive these vaccination and booster shots:
- Birth: hepatitis B (Hep B)
- Two months old: diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis (DTaP); Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib); Hep B; inactivated poliovirus (IPV); pneumococcal (PCV); rotavirus
- Four months old: DTaP; Hib; IPV; PCV; rotavirus
- Six months old: DTaP; Hep B; Hib; influenza (yearly); IPV; PCV; rotavirus
- 12-18 months old: DTaP; Hepatitis A (Hep A) (series of two doses to be given between 12-23 months); Hib; mumps, measles and rubella (MMR); PCV; varicella
If your child is covered by Medicaid, be sure to ask your doctor about Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT). This program helps children on Medicaid from birth to 20 years of age receive necessary health services, including vaccines and preventive screenings. Vaccines and preventive health screenings are also covered if your child has ARKids First B. Ask your child’s doctor to find out more.
Back-to-school vaccines are important
All school-aged children should have a check-up each year, preferably before returning to school after the summer break. At some schools, it is required. Most insurance programs, including Medicaid, will pay for all or part of the check-up.
According to the CDC, by the time a child starts kindergarten, he or she should have received these vaccinations:
- 4 or 5 DtaP (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis) shots (last shot after 4th birthday)
- 4 polio shots (last shot after 4th birthday)
- 2 MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) shots
- 2 chicken pox (varicella) shots (or documentation of varicella illness)
- 3 hepatitis shots
- 4 Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b) shots (protect against meningitis and other diseases)
Some vaccines can weaken over time. This means children need to get another dose of the vaccine during their pre-teen years. Also, as children get older, they have a greater chance of catching certain diseases, like meningitis and human papillomavirus (HPV).
CDC recommends that pre-teens get these vaccines at their 11- or 12-year-old check-up:
- Tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap)
- Meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4)
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine (for girls
Adults need vaccines, too
Vaccines are important for everyone, no matter their age. For example, vaccines offer a safe and cost-effective way to prevent serious illnesses, such as flu and pneumonia, among adolescents and adults.
One important vaccination that all adults need is the whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine. The CDC recommends that all adults from 19 to 64 years of age should be vaccinated with the adult booster tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis vaccine (Tdap). This vaccine helps protect adults from whooping cough, and it also reduces the risk of transmitting the disease to children.
Adults may also need vaccines for hepatitis and shingles. So, check with your doctor to see which ones you may need.