Childhood immunization schedules can seem overwhelming when you are the parent of a newborn or growing child, but they are vitally important to a kid's lifelong health. Vaccinations not only protect your child from deadly diseases, such as polio, diphtheria and HPV-related cancers, but they keep other children safe by eliminating or greatly decreasing dangerous diseases that used to spread from child to child.
Most of your child’s vaccinations are completed between birth and 6 years. A common immunization schedule will include vaccinations for:
- Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR)
- Haemophilus influenza (a common upper respiratory infection that can also cause meningitis)
- Polio
- Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DPT)
- Hepatitis B
- Chickenpox
- Rotavirus (a type of infection that causes severe diarrhea – studies have shown that preventing rotavirus can greatly reduce the chances of a child developing type 1 diabetes)
- Pneumococcal disease (a common cause of ear infections and pneumonia)
The flu is no joke
Have you noticed how bad flu season has been in the last several years? In 2017-18, the flu broke records for hospitalizations and deaths. The CDC noted in a recent study that severe flu diagnoses in otherwise healthy children who had not been vaccinated has taken a sharp upswing. Declining the flu shot puts your child and your family at risk from a preventable illness that can have serious consequences. There's no reason to skip it – the flu shot is effective and, contrary to persisting myths, does not cause the flu.
Life-saving vaccine for girls and boys
Many parents in the last several years have questions and concerns about the HPV vaccine, known by its brand name as Gardisil-9. All adolescents, girls and boys, should receive this essential vaccine to protect against Human Papilloma virus (HPV) infection. HPV is a very common virus; about one in four people are currently infected in the United States. About 14 million people, including teens, become infected with HPV each year. While many people with HPV never develop symptoms or health problems, the infection can cause cancer and other diseases, including cancers of the cervix, vagina, and vulva, cancers of the penis; cancers of the throat, including the base of the tongue and tonsils (oropharynx), in both women and men. According to the CDC, HPV causes 33,700 cancers in men and women every year in the U.S., but HPV vaccination can prevent most of the cancers (about 31,200) from ever developing!
Safety
Immunization has been in the news a lot lately, and confusion over the appropriate use of vaccines is not uncommon. The dissemination of false information in the last two decades about vaccines causing autism has caused some parents to make decisions out of misplaced fear. Even after these ideas were proven to be unscientific and wrong, the idea persists in some areas that vaccines and immunizations are harmful. This is not at all true and is actually very dangerous. In fact, the rise in preventable childhood diseases like measles has caused some communities to ban unvaccinated children from public spaces.
Talk to your health care provider
Vaccines are some of the safest and most effective medicines we have. These miracles of modern medicine have eliminated deadly diseases no child should ever have to face again. Parents should feel comfortable and confident following their pediatrician's vaccine schedule. If you have any concerns about any childhood vaccination, talk to your health care provider.
About Stefoni Stratton, PA-C
Stefoni is a certified physician assistant dedicated to providing quality, patient-oriented care in Mount Dora, FL. She is highly experienced evaluating patients, providing working diagnoses and treatment plans. Stefoni is a graduate of the highly competitive Physician Assistant graduate program at Harding University in Searcy, AR.
