Childhood Immunization

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Latest News

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

• Images
• Health Check Tools

Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Teenagers
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Today, children in the United States routinely get vaccines that protect them from more than a dozen diseases such as measles, polio, tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough). Most of these diseases are now at their lowest levels in history, thanks to years of immunization. Children must get at least some vaccines before they may attend school.

Vaccines help make you immune to serious diseases without getting sick first. Without a vaccine, you must actually get a disease in order to become immune to the germ that causes it. Vaccines work best when they are given at certain ages. For example, children don't receive measles vaccine until they are at least one year old. If it is given earlier it might not work as well. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publishes a schedule for childhood vaccines.

Although some of the vaccines you receive as a child provide protection for many years, adults need immunizations too.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Start Here

• Childhood Vaccines: What They Are and Why Your Child Needs Them (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• For Parents: Vaccines for Your Children (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Frequently Asked Questions about Immunizations (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Vaccine Safety (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Vaccines.gov (Department of Health and Human Services) Also in Spanish
• What Is a Vaccine? (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)

Latest News

• Decline in Kids' Ear Infections Linked to Pneumococcal Vaccine (08/07/2017, HealthDay)
• Time to Catch Up on Reading, Writing and Routine Shots (07/26/2017, HealthDay)
• Parents, Get Your Teens Their Vaccines! (07/17/2017, HealthDay)

Related Issues

• After the Shots... What to Do If Your Child Has Discomfort (Immunization Action Coalition) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Childhood Vaccines: Tough Questions, Straight Answers (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Community Immunity: How Vaccines Protect Us All (National Institutes of Health)
• Current Vaccine Shortages and Delays (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Frequently Asked Questions about Thimerosal (Ethylmercury) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Ingredients of Vaccines (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Is There a Connection Between Vaccines and Autism? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Possible Side-Effects from Vaccines (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Questions Parents Ask about Baby Shots (Immunization Action Coalition) - PDF
• Travelers' Health: Vaccine Recommendations for Infants and Children (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Understanding Thimerosal, Mercury, and Vaccine Safety (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
• Vaccinating Your Preteen: Addressing Common Concerns (American Academy of Pediatrics)
• Vaccination Records for Kids (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• What Would Happen If We Stopped Vaccinations? (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Immunization Schedules for Infants and Children (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
• Immunization Schedules for Preteens and Teens (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
• Immunizations for Preterm Babies (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Recommended Immunizations for Children from 7 Through 18 Years Old (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Your Baby's First Vaccines (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Images

• Vaccine-Preventable Disease Photos (Immunization Action Coalition)

Health Check Tools

• Instant Childhood Immunization Schedule (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Statistics and Research

• 2012 National Immunization Survey Data (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• FastStats: Immunization (National Center for Health Statistics)
• New Study Shows Flu Vaccine Reduced Children's Risk of Intensive Care Unit Flu Admission by Three-Fourths (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Safeguarding Our Health: Vaccines Protect Us All (National Institutes of Health)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Childhood Immunization (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Management of Refugees and International Adoptees.
• Article: Influenza: A Global Perspective.
• Article: Electronic Immunization Alerts and Spillover Effects on Other Preventive Care.
• Childhood Immunization -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Overview of the Immune System (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)

Find an Expert

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Also in Spanish

Children

• Immunizations: Active vs. Passive (American Academy of Pediatrics)
• Kids Guide to Shots (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Vaccination: An Act of Love (Pan American Health Organization) - PDF Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Are You 11-19 Years Old? Then You Need to Be Vaccinated against These Serious Diseases! (Immunization Action Coalition) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Immunizations (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Recommended Immunizations for Children from 7 Through 18 Years Old (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish