children s health issues
Childhood Vaccinations
Childhood Vaccination Schedules
In the United States, childhood vaccination follows a schedule recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which begins with the Hepatitis B Vaccine given in the hospital nursery and continues throughout childhood: Recommended Vaccinations for Infants and Children: Birth through 6 Years, United States Recommended Vaccinations for Children 7 to 18 Years Old, United States Parents should try to have their children vaccinated according to the schedule. A significant delay in vaccination puts children at risk of the serious diseases the vaccines could prevent. If children miss a vaccine dose, parents should talk to their doctor about catching up with the schedule. Missing a dose does not require children to restart the series of injections from the beginning. The following schedule is used to catch up when behind on vaccinations: Catch-up immunization schedule for children and adolescents who start late or who are more than 1 month behind, United States Vaccination does not need to be delayed if children have a slight fever resulting from a mild infection, such as an ordinary cold. Some vaccines are recommended only under special circumstances—for example, only when children have an increased risk of getting the disease the vaccine prevents. More than one vaccine may be given during a visit to the doctor's office, and several vaccines are often combined into one injection. For example, there is a vaccine that combines pertussis, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, andHaemophilus influenzaetype b vaccines in one injection. A combination vaccine simply reduces the number of injections needed and does not reduce the safety or effectiveness of the vaccines. (See alsoCDC: Multiple Vaccines at Once.) 