Vaccines Can Save Your Baby’s Life

by Dr. Tamisha Jones, Medical Director of Pediatrics

As parents, we make sure that our children are buckled safely into their car seats for every ride.  We ensure their bottles are warm and that they are dressed appropriately when the weather is cold.  Many of us have been in car accidents big and small.  We know how it feels to be hungry or cold.  But because of childhood immunizations, many of us have never seen the devastating consequences of vaccine-preventable illness.  We can have the false sense that even without vaccines, we are protected—that our children are safe.  Despite the fact that vaccines have reduced and eliminated deadly diseases, outbreaks still occur, we must continue to vaccinate every child to enjoy the protection that vaccines can provide.

In addition, vaccines also protect our loved ones who are too young or too sick to be vaccinated.  Between 2000 and 2014, there were 277 deaths from whooping cough reported in the United States.   Almost all of the deaths (241 of the 277) were babies younger than 3 months of age, who were too young to be fully protected against whooping cough through vaccines.

Lastly, vaccines are safe and effective.  Vaccines are only given to children after a long and careful review by scientists, doctors, and healthcare professionals.  Children generally only experience temporary tenderness and redness at the injection site.  The disease-prevention benefits of getting vaccines are much greater than these possible side effects for almost all children.  Vaccinating according to the recommended immunization schedule is designed to protect infants and children early in life, when they are most vulnerable and before they are exposed to potentially life-threatening diseases.  Click here for an easy-to-read vaccine schedule.

Contact us today to protect your child by scheduling their vaccinations. (281) 548 5000