This week is National Infant Immunization Week, a time to highlight the importance of immunizing infants and children so they are protected from from vaccine-preventable diseases throughout their entire life.
It’s important for children to be fully immunized. Diseases that can be prevented with vaccines can be very serious—even deadly—especially for infants and young children. Immunizations have helped to greatly improve the health of children in the United States, which leads to parents today never seeing first-hand the devastating consequences that vaccine-preventable diseases have on a family or community.
The Diseases Vaccines Prevent
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
- Diphtheria
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Influenza
- Measles
- Mumps
- Pertussis (whooping cough)
- Pneumococcal disease
- Polio
- Rubella (German measles)
- Tetanus (lockjaw)
- Rotavirus
- Varicella (chickenpox)
Although most of these diseases are not common in the United States, they persist around the world. It is important that we continue to protect our children with vaccines because outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases can and do still occur in this country.
Below is the suggested timetable for infants to receive their vaccinations during their first 2 years of life.
Lately, the measles, a once controlled disease through vaccinations in the United States, is making a comeback due to some children not being immunized and families traveling to other parts of the world. If you are traveling out of the country, make sure your children are vaccinated so you’re children are protected from this serious disease. If your child needs any kind of vaccination, call and make an appointment with one of our friendly pediatric providers at (518) 465-4771.
