Protecting others Delaying or refusing some or all vaccines for your child puts their health and life at risk. Those most at risk include: People with weakened immune systems due to other diseases or medications they are taking. People with chronic medical conditions like lung, heart, liver, kidney disease or diabetes.
Newborn babies, who are too young to be vaccinated against most diseases. The elderly, who may be at higher risk of complications from diseases. If you choose not to fully vaccinate your child, follow these steps: If your child is sick and you call or visit a health care provider, immediately tell office staff and the doctor that your child is not vaccinated whether for some or all vaccines.
They will consider the possibility that your child has a vaccine-preventable disease, which may affect what tests they do. If your child has a vaccine-preventable disease, precautions can be taken so that the disease does not spread to others.
Always keep vaccine records accessible so that you can report which vaccines your child has received, if any. You choose not to vaccinate your child, and a vaccine-preventable disease is active in your community Consider changing your mind and protecting your child with a vaccine. Your child may be asked to stay away from school, child care or other organized activities.
You will be advised when it is safe for your child to return. Be prepared to keep your child home for up to several weeks. Learn about the disease and how it spreads, although it may be impossible to avoid exposure. Each disease is different. The time between when your child may have been exposed and when he may get sick will vary.
If you know that your child has been exposed to a vaccine-preventable disease, learn what symptoms to look for and get urgent medical care if these develop. Breastfeeding may also protect your baby temporarily from minor infections, like colds. These antibodies do not last long, leaving your baby vulnerable to disease. Some vaccine-preventable diseases, like pertussis whooping cough and chickenpox, remain common in the United States.
On the other hand, other diseases vaccines prevent are no longer common in this country because of vaccines. However, if we stopped vaccinating, the few cases we have in the United States could very quickly become tens or hundreds of thousands of cases.
Even though many serious vaccine-preventable diseases are uncommon in the United States, some are common in other parts of the world. Even if your family does not travel internationally, you could come into contact with international travelers anywhere in your community. Your child needs a chickenpox vaccine because chickenpox can actually be a serious disease.
In many cases, children experience a mild case of chickenpox, but other children may have blisters that become infected. Others may develop pneumonia. Before vaccine was available, about 50 children died every year from chickenpox, and about 1 in children who got chickenpox was hospitalized.
Natural immunity occurs when your child is exposed to a disease and becomes infected. It is true that natural immunity usually results in better immunity than vaccination, but the risks are much greater. A natural chickenpox infection may result in pneumonia, whereas the vaccine might only cause a sore arm for a couple of days.
The protection antibodies you passed to your baby before birth will give him some early protection against whooping cough and flu. However, these antibodies will only give him short-term protection. It is very important for your baby to get vaccines on time so he can start building his own protection against these serious diseases.
Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Vaccines for Your Children. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Common Questions About Vaccines. Minus Related Pages. Are vaccines safe? What are the risks and benefits of vaccines? Is there a link between vaccines and autism? Talk to your child's doctor if you have questions or concerns about vaccines for your child. Side Effects What are the side effects of vaccines?
Why do vaccines start so early? Should my child get shots if she is sick? Should I delay some vaccines or follow a non-standard schedule? Can I wait until my child goes to school to catch up on immunizations? Why do adolescents need vaccines? I thought vaccines were just for babies and young children. Vaccine Types, Doses, and Ingredients Why are there so many doses needed for each vaccine?
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