Parents are often concerned about the numerous vaccinations their children are required to receive as young babies. To receive a full series of immunizations, infants and children will need multiple vaccinations at one doctor s visit and many parents worry that this is overloading their child s immune system. The NIP s response is located on the CDC website. Just eating food can introduce new bacteria into a child s body to which the immune system must react.
Numerous bacteria live in the nose and mouth that are also exposed to the immune system.
A typical upper respiratory viral infection, such as a cold, exposes a child s immune system to 4 to 10 different antigens. Another example, is strep throat, which exposes a child to 25-50 antigens at once. A typical infant s visit to the pediatrician does not usually involve more than 4 or 5 vaccinations. Based on this information, it is unlikely that routine immunization of infants and children would represent an appreciable added burden on the immune system than received through these normal events listed above. These studies have shown that the recommended vaccines are as effective in combination as they are individually, and that such combinations carry no greater risk for adverse side effects.