Mapping the Course for Your Child's Vaccination Schedule

 

Childhood vaccines are extremely important in protecting children from 16 dangerous and deadly diseases. These infections, ranging from influenza and whooping cough to rubella and mumps, can have severe health consequences for a young child. However, vaccines help to dramatically reduce the risk of and even prevent these once devastating childhood illnesses. Thanks to a comprehensive vaccination schedule, the impact of diseases like chicken pox has been limited, and some, such as polio, have become virtual unheard of in the United States. Moreover, the risk of vaccinating your child is extremely low. While parents sometimes worry about side effects -- particularly when their child receives multiple shots at a single doctor's visit -- most children experience nothing more than minor symptoms like low-grade fever.

In order to properly safeguard children, the CDC recommends a complex schedule of 13 vaccinations spaced out over the first 18 years of life, with many vaccines administered through multiple doses months or even years apart. This timetable is designed to prevent children from contracting serious illnesses at the times that they are most vulnerable to infection. Carrington.edu has created a guide to help parents visualize and plan their children's vaccination schedule.

http://carrington.edu/blog/medical/vaccines/childhood-vaccine-checklist-infographic/