Staying on Track: Childhood Immunizations

By Molina Healthcare

It’s been an unusual year, to say the least. Thankfully, the end of the pandemic is getting closer. Now it’s time to get back on track with your child’s scheduled immunization. Each year, we observe National Infant Immunization Week and in 2020, the CDC reported that due to the stay-at-home order, there was a drop in routine childhood vaccinations.

As in-person learning and socializing resumes, immunizing children two and under is more important than ever. Remember, you’ll protect them from 14 serious diseases: Chickenpox, Diphtheria, Flu, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hib, HPV, Measles, Meningococcal, Mumps, Polio, Pneumococcal, Rotavirus, Rubella, Tetanus and Whooping Cough.

According to the CDC, routine vaccinations for children born between 1994 and 2018 have prevented 419 million illnesses, 8 million hospitalizations, and 936,000 early deaths over the course of their lives.

Here’s a list of reasons why immunizations are important for your baby:

1. Top doctors base the schedule on your child’s immune system, protecting them exactly at the time they are exposed to diseases.

    

2. Like a helmet shields from injury, vaccinating on schedule protects babies from disease. Delay and you could leave your child defenseless.

    

3. If you wait for an outbreak or when daycare starts, the vaccine may not have time to work. Children need immunity before they are exposed to life-threatening diseases.

    

4. Each vaccine is for a specific illness and some require more than one dose.

    

5. The immunization schedule helps a baby’s immune system develop the ability to fight preventable diseases on its own in the long term.

    

6. Children who aren’t vaccinated risk getting sick and spreading illness to people like newborns who are too young for vaccines and those with weakened immune systems.

For more information on vaccines, call 800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636) or visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines. 

Source: CDC.gov