Family Doctor 2007 - (Page 201) kids & teens VACCINATIONS Childhood vaccines: Why they’re necessary Vaccinations enable your child to fight off diseases that could otherwise lead to serious health problems. Here’s a roundup of the different types of vaccines. By Barbara L. Bittner Vaccinations can prevent serious childhood diseases. several different types of vaccines, so it’s important to learn everything you can about them and the diseases they prevent. P art of your role as a parent is to protect your children from harm. One of the easiest ways to do that is to make sure their vaccinations, or “shots,” are up to date. There are Types of vaccines Flu. The flu vaccine is a shot. Your child can’t get the flu from the vaccine because it contains dead flu viruses. It’s given at the beginning of flu season, usually in October or November. Because flu viruses change from year to year, it’s very important for your child to get the shot each year. The flu vaccine is safe for children 6 months of age and older. If your child is between 6 months and 23 months of age, it’s especially important for him or her to get the flu vaccine each year. Children in this age group are more likely to have complications from the flu. You may hear about a nasal spray flu vaccine that uses weakened live virus. This type can only be used for children older than age 5. DTaP. The DTaP is a series of 5 shots that contains 3 vaccines. It protects against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. Diphtheria is a disease that attacks the throat and heart. It can lead to heart failure and death. Tetanus is an infection caused by bacteria and can cause “lockjaw.” It can also lead to severe muscle spasms and death. Pertussis (also called “whooping cough”) causes severe Vaccine basics A vaccine is a medicine that helps prevent a disease. Vaccines help the body produce antibodies, which protect against the disease. Vaccines not only help keep your own child healthy, they help all children by preventing the spread of serious childhood diseases. Vaccine safety Vaccines are generally quite safe. The protection that they provide far outweighs the very small risk of serious problems. Because of vaccines, many serious childhood diseases are rare or nonexistent today. Talk with your family doctor if you have any questions. Side effects Some vaccines may cause mild side effects such as fever, soreness or a lump under the skin where the shot was given, but these are only temporary. Your family doctor will talk with you about the side effects of certain vaccines. familydoctor 2007 201
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