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August is National Immunization Awareness Month, and with school just around the corner, it’s a good reminder for parents to make sure their kids are up-to-date on all vaccines.
On-time vaccination throughout childhood is essential because it helps provide immunity before children are exposed to diseases.
Different vaccines work in different ways, but every vaccine helps the body’s immune system learn how to fight germs. Vaccines are tested to ensure they are safe and effective for children to receive at the recommended ages.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it typically takes a few weeks for protection to develop after vaccination, but that protection can last a lifetime. A few vaccines, such as those for tetanus or seasonal flu, require occasional booster doses to maintain the body’s defenses.
Dr. Kimberly Giuliano is a pediatrician with Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital. She says getting your children vaccinated is not a difficult decision.
“Vaccines are incredibly important for our kids. They help to protect us against diseases that can be severely debilitating and sometimes even life-threatening,” Giuliano said. “It’s tough to think about a poke or something that’s going to produce a little bit of anxiety for your child, but when you think about the alternative, having your child in the ICU or having them pass away — really, it’s an easy choice to make.”
Vaccines use very small amounts of antigens to help your child’s immune system recognize and learn to fight serious diseases. Antigens are the parts of a germ that cause the body’s immune system to go to work.
Children are exposed to thousands of germs every day, be it through the food they eat, the air they breathe or the things they put in their mouth.
Giuliano says with children heading back to school, it’s also a good idea to get them vaccinated for influenza – especially if they have any underlying medical issues like asthma or diabetes.
She also says vaccine requirements depend on the child’s age. For example, those going into kindergarten will need to get a series of booster shots, which include T-Dap, Polio, MMR and chicken pox.
Around 11 years old, they’ll be due for another T-Dap booster shot, as well as the meningococcal vaccine, which protects against certain types of bacterial infections and the HPV vaccine for human papilloma virus-associated cancers.
“So national data still shows that we haven’t recovered completely from the pandemic and that there are some families who continue to have some hesitancy regarding vaccines,” Giuliano said. “However, we are starting to see a shift in families wanting to have more dialogue with their pediatricians related to vaccines. And we do know that families who talk to their pediatrician about the vaccines are more likely to ultimately immunize their child.”
Vaccines, like medicine, can have some side effects, but most people who get vaccinated have only mild side effects or none at all. According to the CDC, the most common side effects include fever, tiredness, body aches, and redness, swelling, and tenderness where the shot was given. Mild reactions usually go away on their own within a few days – and serious, long-lasting side effects are extremely rare.