Durr-e-Shahwaar Sayed, DO
• Familydoctor.org • AAP.org • CDC.gov • Immunizeca.org
• When germs enter the body, the immune system recognizes them as foreign substances (antigens). The immune system then produces the right antibodies to fight the antigens. • Vaccines contain weakened or dead versions of the antigens that cause diseases. This means that the antigens cannot produce the signs or symptoms of the disease, but they do stimulate the immune system to create antibodies. These antibodies help protect you if you are exposed to the disease in the future. • Vaccines not only help keep you and your child healthy, they help all adults and children by stamping out serious diseases.
Source: "Historical Comparisons of Morbidity and Mortality for Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in the United States," Journal of the American Medical Association , Nov. 14, 2007
• This is not true. Many diseases do not occur or spread as much as they used to, thanks to better nutrition, less crowded living conditions, antibiotics, and, most importantly, vaccines. • However, this does not mean that the bacteria and viruses that are responsible for these diseases have disappeared. Immunizations are still needed to protect children from these diseases.
• Immunizations have reduced most of these diseases to very low levels in the U.S. However, some of these diseases are still common in other parts of the world. Travelers can bring (“import”) these diseases into this country. Without immunizations, these infections could spread quickly here. Immunizations also help people who cannot be vaccinated or who do not respond to vaccines, if those around them are vaccinated.
• Vaccines are the best way to prevent diseases. • Children are given vaccines at a young age because this is when they are most likely to get the disease. If a child is not vaccinated and is exposed to a disease, the child’s body may not be strong enough to fight the disease.
• The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend vaccination against 16 diseases (including influenza). To be most effective, some of these vaccines need to be given more than once. • As a result, children may receive up to 27 vaccines by the time they are 2 years old and may be given up to 6 vaccines during one visit to the doctor. • Talk to your pediatrician about combination vaccines that are available to reduce the number of needle sticks your child will receive.
• Haemophilus Influenza B Vaccine (Hib) • Chickenpox vaccine • Meningococcal vaccine • Flu Shots – now recommended for everyone over 6 months
• Vaccines are generally quite safe. The protection provided by vaccines far outweighs the very small risk of serious problems. • The most common side effects include fever, redness or soreness where the shot was given, or fussiness of your child. • Sometimes more serious reactions occur, but they are very rare. It is important to talk to your doctor to identify possible side effects to watch for and how to contact him in case you observe something you are concerned about.
• Unless a child is allergic to them, no. The ingredient people worried about the most, thimerosal, has been removed from all routine childhood vaccines except some flu vaccines. • Even then, you can ask the doctor for a thimerosal-free flu shot. Some people have questioned the use of aluminum in certain vaccines. The amount of aluminum exposure is far less than the amount of aluminum naturally occurring in breast milk, or in baby milk formulas with soy.
• In some special situations, children shouldn't be vaccinated. For example, some vaccines shouldn't be given to children who have certain types of cancer or certain diseases, or who are taking drugs that lower the body's ability to resist infection. • If your child has had a serious reaction to the first shot in a series of shots, your family doctor will probably talk with you about the pros and cons of giving him or her the rest of the shots in the series.
• Autism is a spectrum of chronic developmental disorders. • The main characteristics are difficulties in social interaction, communication, and restrictive and repetitive interests and activities. • Autism may be noted initially in infancy as impaired attachment, but autism is most often first identified in toddlers, mostly boys, from 18 to 30 months of age. • Although there is no cure, autism is treatable. Symptoms associated with autism often improve as children start to acquire language and learn how to communicate their needs.
• The causes of autism are not known for certain. Most experts agree that autism is a condition that begins before birth. • The current theory favored by many experts is that autism is a genetically based disorder. Studies of people with autism have identified abnormalities in brain structures that develop in the first few weeks of gestation (that is, while the fetus is in the womb).
• No, there is no scientifically proven link between measles vaccination and autism. • Extensive reports from both the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Institute of Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conclude that there is no proven association between MMR vaccine and autism. • MMR is administered just before the peak age of onset of autism symptoms. This timing leads some parents to mistakenly assume a causal relationship. There is no evidence that MMR causes autism. • Increasing evidence indicates that autism is determined while the baby is still in the womb, early in the pregnancy.
• “Study” from 1998 suggesting link between MMR vaccine and autism in 12 children who presented with abdominal pain • The study has been fully retracted and Wakefield was stripped of his medical license in the UK for unethical practices and fraud • His results have not been able to be replicated
• A study by respected researchers, published this year in the British Medical Journal, found no rise in incidence of autism in children who received MMR as compared to those who did not. • The authors also showed that in autistic children, the age at which a child received MMR did not affect the age at which the diagnosis of autism was made. They also demonstrated that in the years after the MMR vaccine was introduced in the United Kingdom, there was no increase in autism rates in comparison to the years before the vaccine was available.
• The Affordable Care Act (“ Obamacare ”) requires coverage of recommended vaccines • If your child's health insurance does not cover vaccination, he may be eligible for free vaccine through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program. • Many clinics participate in the VFC program, which is a federal program that provides certain children with all recommended vaccines at no cost. You may, however, be charged a small administration fee. The federal government pays for the vaccines, and doctors and clinics agree to give the vaccines to children who qualify.
• Immunizations are not just for children • There are several important vaccines adults need also
• Yearly Flu Shot • Tetanus Booster (TD) or Tetanus Booster with Pertussis (TDaP) • Vaccines prior to pregnancy (Rubella) • Chicken pox vaccine • Pneumonia Vaccine and Shingles Vaccine in the Elderly • Vaccines Prior to Travel • Others in some populations
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