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Immunizations Prevent Disease

There are many myths about immunizations, and they have been around as long as the vaccines themselves. Although recommendations about when to immunize your child change every once in a while, the current guidelines call for children to receive their first shot at birth.

Parents should make a point to better understand what immunizations can and cannot do. After all, your children depend on you for their good health. Having your children immunized is the first step in preventing serious disease.

Here are the facts:

• Vaccines strengthen a person’s immune system; they don’t weaken it, and they are extremely effective at preventing disease.
• Children should have 80 percent of their immunizations by age 2.
• 55,000 cases of measles and 130 deaths were reported during the 1989-1991 measles epidemic in the United States. Nearly half the deaths were children under age 2 who had not been immunized. The biggest cause of the epidemic was failure to vaccinate children against measles on time–between 12 and 18 months of age.

It is possible to get your children immunized even if you can’t afford the vaccines. For more information, check with your doctor or local health department.