• Immunization is the process of promoting protection to an infectious organism or agent in an individual or through vaccination.  

• Schoolchildren are often required by state law to be immunized against certain diseases. 

• Because of such widespread immunization, many infectious agents/diseases that used to be fairly common, including smallpox, polio and whooping cough, have become rare. 

• A vaccine is an injection of a small ingredient of a disease into the body that, upon introduction into the body, causes antibody (fighter cell) production which creates immunity (protection).  Vaccine use the body’s own ability to defend itself and boosts its defense capability. Once the body’s defenses (immune antibodies) are formed and boosted, it can remember the disease and protect against it even if there is no contact with the disease for a long period of time.

• After immunizations the body’s own immune system keeps a record, or antibody, of every germ it has had to fight, and will learn to battle off the disease from the small and harmless injection.  

• In the future, if a child encounters the disease again, his or her body’s immune system will know how to defend against it, thereby protecting the body from serious, potential health risks.

• Vaccines take advantage of the body’s natural ability to learn how to combat many disease-causing germs, or microbes, that attack it. What’s more, the body “remembers” how to protect itself from the microbes it has encountered before.

• Vaccination is a child’s best protection against 16 major diseases.

• Getting your child immunized should start when he/she is very young and continue through adolescence. (Adults benefit from vaccine too.)

• While it’s true that most children today don’t know what polio, hepatitis A; or measles are, vaccines are still a necessary part of childhood. 

• Although these diseases seem to be “eliminated” it is only the result of diligence in regard to vaccinations. 

• Immunization protects not only individuals, but the health of the public in general.

• When people don’t receive immunizations, they expose themselves, and the public to serious health risks.

• According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), even if there are only a few cases of a disease today, if you take away the protection given by vaccination, more and more people will be infected and will spread the disease to others, reversing the progress made over years.

• Each vaccine dose is scheduled using 2 factors:

    – First, it is scheduled for the age when the body’s immune    

      system will work the best. 

    – Second, it is balanced with the need to provide protection to 

      infants and children at the earliest possible age. 

    – Timing can also be associated with  the age at which the 

      infant or child is most vulnerable to the disease.

• Researchers, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, are always studying how well vaccines work. 

• For many vaccines three or four doses are needed to fully protect your child by boosting the immune system for the best result obtainable. 

• The doses need to be spaced out over certain time periods to work the best. 

• Babies whose mothers have received immunizations in the past are typically protected from those diseases, because they were exposed to the mother’s antibodies while inside the womb.  

• This protection however, quickly decreases though, making vaccines vital to an infant’s health.

• Because the immune systems of babies and young children are still developing, they don’t have the power to fight off infections as well, making it essential that they receive their vaccinations.

• As with any medication, there is always some risk of side effects, but vaccinations are a much safer option for kids than unprotected exposure to a potentially life-threatening disease.

• Millions of children have been safely immunized over a long period of time.

• Typically, pediatricians and family practitioners will discuss potential side effects each time a child receives a vaccine so that parents can be prepared and will know what to expect.

• Side effects from vaccinations are usually minor and may include pain and swelling at the injection site, stuffy nose, sore throat or fever. 

• Parents should always monitor their child for any side effects after any kind of medical treatment, including vaccination, and report reactions to the doctor for future reference and to address any concerns.

• A combination vaccine consists of two or more different vaccines that have been combined into a single shot and have been in use in the United States since the 1940s. 

• Examples of combination vaccines in current use are: DTaP (diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis), trivalent IPV (three strains of inactivated polio vaccine), DTaP-Hib and Hib-Hep B (hepatitis B). 

• Simultaneous vaccination is when more than one non-combination vaccine shot is administered during the same doctor’s visit, usually in separate limbs.

• An example of simultaneous vaccination might be administering DTap in one arm or leg and IPV in another arm or leg during the same visit.

• Giving a child several vaccinations, whether they are combination or simultaneous vaccines, during the same visit offers two practical advantages: immunizing children as quickly as possible to give them protection during the vulnerable early months or years of their lives and giving several vaccinations at the same time typically means fewer office visits. 

• This saves parents both time and money, and may be less traumatic for the child.

• August is National Immunization Month, a great time to make sure you’re in the know and your child is up to date on vaccines.

• Check with your child’s physician to see where he or she is in their vaccine schedule so they can stay up-to-date.

• Staying on schedule with immunizations helps protect children from preventable infections and diseases that can cause lifelong side effects and even death.

• A standard immunization schedule has been created that lists recommended ages for vaccinations in order to ensure immunity in children.

• Download Blue Care Network’s immunization app at //st.secured-app.com/ahealthiermichigan/immunization/ or visit the CDC to print out an immunization record to keep for your child at //www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/downloads/milestones-tracker.pdf.  

— Dr. Jann Caison-Sorey, is a pediatrician and senior medical director at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.