There are several reasons why vaccines are important for your child’s health:
Vaccines cost much less than treating disease. If we didn’t have vaccines, our children could become sick and perhaps die. Vaccines may also help prevent serious complications of diseases if they occur. Here is an example: Rotavirus can cause severe diarrhea and vomiting that can lead to dehydration and hospitalization in young babies. In 2010 there were about 53,000 hospitalizations in the United States from rotavirus-related illness—a number that has been falling because of vaccination against this disease.
It isn’t possible to develop immunity to all diseases. Some diseases can be prevented with vaccines, but others cannot. Some children’s immune systems are simply not strong enough to prevent even the common cold. Once a child is older, his or her immune system will provide effective protection against disease.
Vaccines are safe. As would be expected from medicines, vaccines contain substances that may cause mild side effects or even a mild allergic reaction such as redness and itching at the injection site (inflammation). Rarely, serious side effects can occur. In adults, most serious reactions are caused by the infection that was being prevented by the vaccine, not the vaccine itself.
Vaccines work. Vaccines have been shown to be effective in preventing certain diseases in children and they are generally safe. In fact, vaccines are much safer than many childhood infections (and far safer than many common childhood illnesses).
Vaccines can protect older children and adults from disease. Because people may not be able to safely receive all these vaccines on schedule once they reach school age, a booster shot at age 11 or 12 is recommended for all adolescents and adults who haven’t had a child’s recommended doses of some vaccines. Booster shots may be recommended for persons who may have weakened immune systems (e.g., people with HIV/AIDS) or who had some of their childhood vaccines in the era before they were recommended for use.
Vaccines are available free of charge to eligible individuals. Most vaccines are available at no cost to the individual receiving them in this country. Some vaccines, such as hepatitis B vaccine and the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, must be distributed by a school nurse to students, but all others can be obtained without charge from a local health department, if needed.