Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Studies show that kids' bodies - even infants - can handle many shots at once.  Having several vaccines at once is safe, even for a newborn.

Combination vaccines protect you child against more than one disease with a single shot.  This reduces the number of shots and office visits your child would need.

It's not your imagination; there are a greater number of shots now than even a few years ago.  That's because as science advances, we are able to protect you child against more diseases than ever before.

Babies get some temporary immunity (protection) from mom during the last few weeks of pregnancy - but only for the diseases mom is immune to.

These antibodies do not last long, leaving the infant vulnerable to disease.

Thanks to vaccines, most diseases prevented by vaccines are no longer common in this country.  Even the few cases we have in the U.S. could very quickly become tens or hundreds of thousands of cases if we stopped vaccinating.

It's not uncommon to have measles outbreaks, whooping cough outbreaks, chickenpox outbreaks, and other diseases when vaccination rates drop.  Kids that are not fully vaccinated can become seriously sick and spread it through a community.

No. Scientific studies and reviews have found no relationship between vaccines and autism.

Groups of experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Institute of Medicine (IOM), also agree that vaccines are not responsible for the number of children now recognized to have autism.

Many of the diseases vaccines protect against can be very dangerous to infants.  Newborns, babies, and toddlers can all be exposed to diseases from parents and other adults, brothers and sisters, on a plane, at child care, or even at the grocery store.  International travel is easier than ever - your baby can be exposed to diseases from other countries without you knowing.

Don't wait to protect your baby and risk these diseases when he or she needs protection now.

It is easier to stay up to date than to catch up!

Chickenpox can actually be a serious disease for kids if the blisters become infected.  Before vaccine was available, about 50 kids died every year from chickenpox, and about 1 in 500 kids who got chickenpox were hospitalized.

Yes, usually. Talk with the doctor, but children can usually get vaccinated even if they have a mild illness like a cold, earache, mild fever or diarrhea.
If the doctor says it is okay, your child can still get vaccinated.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - www.cdc.gov/vaccines or 800-CDC-INFO
American Academy of Pediatrics - www.aap.org
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia - www.vaccine.chop.edu
Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) - www.immunize.org
Every Child By Two - www.ecbt.org