Childhood immunizations: First line of defense against illnesses
Worried about your child's immunizations?
Immunizations are one of the best ways to protect children from a multitude of serious diseases. Children in the United States routinely get vaccines that protect them from more than a dozen diseases.
Some vaccines are given in combination with others. Most vaccines require multiple doses given at various intervals.
For the sake of your child's health, take the time to understand the benefits and risks of vaccines. Jay Hoecker, M.D., a pediatrician at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., responds to questions and concerns you might have about your child's immunizations.
The majority of vaccines protect against serious, potentially fatal diseases that are most likely to occur when children are very young. And the immune systems of infants are still developing and may need help fighting serious infection. If we wait until the child is older, we may return to an era of high infant mortality — and many children may never reach school age.
