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CHILDREN’S HEALTH

IT’S A REMARKABLE ACCOMPLISHMENT: Thanks to vac-cines, both polio and smallpox have been eliminated in the U.S. Other serious diseases, such as diphtheria and measles, no longer disable and kill millions of children each year.

But that success is not the end of the story. Protection from disease is an ongoing process. And childhood vaccines are a cru-cial part of keeping everyone safe.

SELF-DEFENSE

Vaccines are medicines that children typically receive by injec-tion (a shot) or by mouth. They help protect against disease by triggering the body to fght invading bacteria and viruses, called antigens.

Vaccines can do this because they contain some of the same antigens that cause those diseases. That might sound scary, but the antigens in vaccines aren’t strong enough to produce symp-toms of the disease. They’re only strong enough to prompt the body to defend itself.

Once the body has learned self-defense against a specifc anti-gen, it will remember how to protect itself if that antigen appears again later. This protection against disease is called immunity. Babies are typically immune to many diseases when they’re born. But that immunity can wear off as early as one month after birth. Immunity from vaccines lasts longer. In many cases, a person’s body can remember how to protect itself even decades after being vaccinated.

PROTECTING ONE AND MANY

With childhood diseases at such low levels, you may think your child doesn’t need to be vaccinated. But there are many reasons vaccines continue to be important.

For one, the bacteria and viruses that cause these diseases still exist. Children who aren’t vaccinated can become sick or even die if they come into contact with these diseases. Vaccines offer a safe way to help protect children from threats such as chicken-pox or whooping cough (pertussis).

Vaccines also help keep disease at bay in the community. If parents stop having their children vaccinated, the diseases that

GET QUESTIONS ANSWERED

If you’re concerned about having your child vaccinated, talk with your child’s doctor. He or she can address any questions you have and provide more information.

(ALMOST) ALL ABOUT

vaccines prevent could return with a vengeance. And if there is a disease outbreak, vaccinated children help limit or stop the spread of that disease. Not everyone can be vaccinated. Children who have been vaccinated help protect those who can’t be and those who haven’t yet developed immunity.

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Immunization Action Coalition; U.S. Food and Drug Administration

VACCINES Still a key in disease prevention