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Proper Immunizations for your Baby

Vaccines have always been a controversial subject. Are the few cases of dangerous side-effects worth the society of protected immunized people? Is there enough research done on each vaccine and the combinations administered? The arguments will probably never end. This week ABC News reported on a study done by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about immunized and non-immunized children. They considered children who have not received vaccines and children who received vaccines too close or too far apart to be effective as non-immunized. They report that a full 25% of American children are non-immunized. With a number like that it’s not surprising that there was an outbreak of measles (previously declared eliminated in the United States) earlier this year.

What vaccines should your baby have? The CDC has vaccination schedules (available at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/child-schedule.htm#printable) for children 0-6 and 7-18. They also have a “catch-up” schedule in case you miss some or all of the vaccines. Here’s a summary of the recommended shots before a baby turns two years old:

1. At the hospital: Hepatitus B
2. At your baby’s 2-month appointment: Hepatitus B, Rotavirus, Diptheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type b, Pneumococcal, Polio
3. At your baby’s 4-month appointment: Rotavirus, Diptheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type b, Pneumococcal, Polio
4. At your baby’s 6-month appointment: Hepatitus B, Rotavirus, Diptheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type b, Pneumococcal, Polio, and flu (if you’re visiting during the flu season)
5. At your baby’s 12-month appointment: Haemophilus influenzae type b, Pneumococcal, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Chicken Pox, Hepatitus A
6. At your baby’s 18-month appointment: Diptheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Hepatitus A, and flu (every year during flu season after the baby is 6 months old)

Some clinics administer some shots at different times, but usually in this order. For example, your baby is supposed to have two Hepatitis A shots between 12 and 24 months. The shots need to be six months apart, but it doesn’t matter if they’re given at 12 and 18 months or 15 and 21 months.

The information provided here is strictly for convenience and should never be used to replace or substitute advice from a doctor or other medical professional.

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