Immunizations

One snowy day in February, my husband and I took our son home from the hospital. It was a huge responsibility that we had both been anticipating for many months. We had this fantastic little guy who depended on us for food, clean diapers, and a safe home. One of the things that slipped my mind was the importance of immunizations. As we began to schedule the many well baby visits, the first thing on my mind was are immunizations safe? New moms tend to be wary of the least little thing that may harm that new baby and I needed more information.

Information is available from many sources, but the bottom line is that immunizations (in humans) are incredibly safe. The Immunization Action Coalition [ http://www.vaccineinformation.org/safety.asp ] will provide links to reports and information from the Centers for Disease Control, the US Dept of Health and Human Safety, as well as many other reliable sources for information. Several videos in English and Spanish are available for viewing. If you need information on a global scale concerning vaccine safety, The World Health Organization [ http://www.who.int/immunization_safety/en/ ] is a great place for more information.

The United States has, arguably, the safest vaccines in the world. Immunizations, like many other medicines, can cause side effects. Most vaccines can cause redness and tenderness at the location of the injection. More serious side effects are very rare and depend on the vaccine. How rare is rare? Statistics, available at the website links provided here, will show that it is much more likely for your child to catch the rare disease rather than suffer from a serious side effect of a vaccine. Most Americans are lucky that they have never seen the first hand results of a child with whooping cough or polio. The diseases that we immunize against are still prevalent in the environment and there are outbreaks in other locations of the world. Young infants are both at risk to many diseases and are surprisingly good at building an immunity to disease with the help of a vaccine. So, immunize now and at your regular well baby visits. As always, if you have questions ask your child’s pediatrician.

If you are concerned by the cost of vaccines, consult your local public health department. Free and low cost vaccines may be available in your area. In Illinois, your best source of immunizations in the state is the Illinois Department of Public Health. For immunization schedules (also in Spanish), addition information, and more age groups, visit the IDPH immunization link : http://www.idph.state.il.us/about/shots.htm

The Health-E Illinois database can give you more information on locating a public health department or doctor in your area. Go to Health-E Illinois at http://medlineplus.gov/illinois and click on Health Care Providers, Facilities, and Services then scroll down to Immunization Programs. You can choose a county or put in your zip code to find a program nearest you.

For Spanish immunization schedules, addition information, and more age groups, visit the IDPH immunization link : http://www.idph.state.il.us/about/shots.htm