Childhood Immunization

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here

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

• 2019 Recommended Vaccinations for Children (7-18 Years Old) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
• 2019 Recommended Vaccinations for Infants and Children (birth through 6 years) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
• Childhood Vaccine Assessment Tool (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• 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
• Immunization Schedule (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Recommended Immunizations for Children from 7 Through 18 Years Old (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Vaccine Basics (Department of Health and Human Services)
• Vaccines for Your Children: Protect Your Child at Every Age (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Vaccines.gov (Department of Health and Human Services) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Community Immunity: How Vaccines Protect Us All (National Institutes of Health)
• Do Vaccines Cause Autism? Is it OK to Skip Certain Vaccines? Get the facts (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• 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)
• Records and Requirements (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• School Starts Soon - Is Your Child Fully Vaccinated? (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Travelers' Health: Vaccine Recommendations for Infants and Children (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Vaccinating Your Preteen: Addressing Common Concerns (American Academy of Pediatrics)
• Vaccine Safety (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• What Would Happen If We Stopped Vaccinations? (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Immunizations for Preterm Babies (American Academy of Pediatrics) 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

• Childhood Vaccine Assessment Tool (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Statistics and Research

• FastStats: Immunization (National Center for Health Statistics)
• Safeguarding Our Health: Vaccines Protect Us All (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
• VaxView: Vaccination Coverage [data] in the U.S. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Clinical Trials

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

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

• Article: The effect of maternal poliovirus antibodies on the immune responses of...
• Article: Effectiveness of simulation in teaching immunization in nursing: a randomized clinical...
• Article: Improving HPV Vaccination Rates: A Stepped-Wedge Randomized Trial.
• Childhood Immunization -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Glossary of Vaccine Terms (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• 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

• Kids Guide to Shots (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Vaccination: An Act of Love (Pan American Health Organization) - PDF Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Vaccinations for Preteens and Teens, Age 11-19 Years (Immunization Action Coalition) - PDF 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
• Your Baby's First Vaccines: What You Need to Know (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF