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Childhood vaccines: Tough questions, straight answers
Are vaccine side effects dangerous?
Any vaccine can cause side effects. Usually, these side effects are minor — low-grade fever, and soreness, redness or swelling at the injection site. Some vaccines cause a temporary headache, dizziness, fatigue or loss of appetite. Rarely, a child may experience a severe allergic reaction or a neurological side effect, such as a seizure. Although these rare side effects are a concern, vaccines are much safer than the diseases they prevent.
Of course, vaccines aren't given to children who have known allergies to specific vaccine components. Likewise, if your child develops a life-threatening reaction to a particular vaccine, further doses of that vaccine won't be given.
Why are vaccines given so early?
The diseases that childhood vaccines are meant to prevent are most likely to occur when a child is very young and the risk of complications is greatest. That makes early vaccination — sometimes beginning shortly after birth — essential. If you postpone vaccines until a child is older, it may be too late.
Is it OK to pick and choose vaccines?
In general, skipping vaccines isn't a good idea. This can leave your child vulnerable to potentially serious diseases that could otherwise be avoided. And consider this: For some children — including those who can't receive certain vaccines for medical reasons — the only protection from vaccine-preventable diseases is the immunity of the people around them. If immunization rates drop, vaccine-preventable diseases may once again become common threats.
If you have reservations about particular vaccines, discuss your concerns with your child's doctor. If your child falls behind the standard vaccines schedule, ask the doctor about catch-up immunizations.
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- Common questions parents ask about infant immunizations. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/spec-grps/infants/parent-questions.htm. Accessed March 4, 2010.
- Bedford HE, et al. MMR vaccine and autism. BMJ. 2010;340:c655.
- Freed GL, et al. Parental vaccine safety concerns in 2009. Pediatrics. 2010;125:654.
- Varicella disease questions & answers. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/varicella/dis-faqs-gen.htm. Accessed March 4, 2010.
- Polio disease in-short. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/polio/in-short-both.htm. Accessed March 4, 2010.
- Hib in-short. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/hib/in-short-adult.htm. Accessed March 4, 2010.
- Complications of mumps. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/mumps/about/complications.html. Accessed March 4, 2010.
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- Gust DA, et al. Parents with doubts about vaccines: Which vaccines and reasons why. Pediatrics. 2008;122:718.
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