Why Are Vaccines Important?

  • It is true that newborn babies are immune to many diseases because they have antibodies they got from their mothers. However, this immunity only lasts about a year. Further, most young children do not have maternal immunity from diphtheria, whooping cough, polio, tetanus, hepatitis B, or Haemophilus influenza type b.

  • Immunizing individual children also helps to protect the health of our community. People who are sick will be less likely to be exposed to disease germs that can be passed around by unvaccinated children. Immunization also slows down or stops disease outbreaks.

  • If a child is not vaccinated and is exposed to a disease germ, the child’s body may not be strong enough to fight the disease. Before vaccines, many children died of diseases vaccines prevent, like whooping cough, measles, and polio. Those same germs exist today, but babies are now protected by vaccines and so we do not see these diseases as often.

CDC

Vaccine Schedule:

Birth to 2 months: Vaccine recommended

  • Hepatitis B — doses one and two of three

2 months: Vaccines recommended

  • Diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis (DTaP) — dose one of five

  • Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) — dose one of four

  • Inactivated poliovirus (IPV) — dose one of four

  • Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) — dose one of four

  • Rotavirus vaccine — dose one of three

4 months: Vaccines recommended

  • Diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis (DTaP) — dose two of five

  • Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) — dose two of four

  • Inactivated poliovirus (IPV) — dose two of four

  • Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) — dose two of four

  • Rotavirus vaccine — dose two of three

6 months: Vaccines recommended

  • Diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis (DTaP) — dose three of five

  • Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) — dose three of four

  • Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) — dose three of four

  • Rotavirus vaccine — dose three of three

6 to 18 months: Vaccines recommended

  • Hepatitis B — dose three of three

  • Inactivated poliovirus (IPV) — dose three of four

6 to 59 months: Vaccine recommended

  • Influenza — annual dose

12 to 15 months: Vaccines recommended

  • Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) — dose four of four

  • Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) — dose four of four

  • Measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) — dose one of two

  • Chickenpox (varicella) — dose one of two

12 to 23 months: Vaccine recommended

  • Hepatitis A — two doses

15 to 18 months: Vaccine recommended

  • Diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis (DTaP) — dose four of five

4 to 6 years: Vaccines recommended

  • Diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis (DTaP) — dose five of five

  • Inactivated poliovirus (IPV) — dose four of four

  • Measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) — dose two of two

  • Chickenpox (varicella)- dose two of tow

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