Why should I subject my child to a painful shot if vaccines aren’t 100% effective? Few things in medicine work 100% of the time, but vaccines are one of the most effective weapons we have against disease — they work in 85% to 99% of cases. They greatly reduce your child’s risk of serious illness… Continue reading
Tag: immunizations
The immunizations and your new baby: all about its – 1
Since the start of widespread vaccinations in the United States, the number of cases of formerly common childhood illnesses like measles and diphtheria have declined dramatically. Immunizations have protected millions of kids from potentially deadly diseases and saved thousands of lives. In fact, certain diseases crop up so rarely now that parents sometimes ask if… Continue reading
Medical care for your child – 4-5 year old
The Well-Child Visit Regular well-child examinations are essential to keeping kids healthy and up-to-date on immunizations against many dangerous childhood diseases. A checkup also is an opportunity for your doctor to talk to you about developmental and safety issues and for you ask questions you might have about your child’s overall health. What to Expect at the Doctor’s… Continue reading
New methods in immunizations
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), in a revised policy statement, says increasing immunization coverage for children, teens, and young adults should be promoted more aggressively to achieve better immunization rates. The AAP says data from the 2007 National Immunization Survey indicates that about 90% of children between 19 months and 35 months old have… Continue reading
DTaP and Tdap Vaccines /Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis/
DTaP is a vaccine that lets children younger than 7 develop immunity to three deadly diseases caused by bacteria: diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough (pertussis). Tdap is a booster immunization that offers continued protection from those diseases for adolescents and adults. Diphtheria is a respiratory disease that can cause breathing problems, paralysis, heart failure, and… Continue reading
What Is the Chickenpox Vaccine? /Varicella/
The chickenpox vaccine is a shot that can protect nearly everyone who gets it from catching chickenpox. It’s also called the varicella vaccine because chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. The vaccine is made from the live but weakened, or attenuated, virus. Viruses that have been attenuated are less virulent than viruses that are… Continue reading
Polio vaccine in children /IPV/: when to vaccinated
Polio, an infectious disease caused by a virus that lives in the throat and intestinal tract, was once the leading cause of disability in the U.S. Since the introduction of the polio vaccine in 1955, the disease has been eradicated in the U.S. But the disease is still common in some developing countries and until… Continue reading