Early Childhood Immunizations Offer Important Protection

By Mark Shalauta, MD, Scripps Health

When an outbreak of pertussis or “whooping cough” swept across the U.S. in 2010, more than 27,000 people came down with the disease. Among the 27 deaths reported, 25 were in children younger than 1 year of age.

Whooping cough isn’t the only “childhood” disease that has been making a comeback. According to the CDC, 222 people were reported to have measles in the United States in 2011, the highest number reported in any year since 1996. A potentially serious and even life-threatening disease for young children, measles is still common in many other countries, including Europe, Asia, and Africa. It is highly contagious and can be brought into the U.S. by unvaccinated residents and visitors who become infected while traveling abroad.

Typically, diseases such as whooping cough and measles are kept under control by immunizations given during the first two years of an infant’s life. Immunizations expose the body to a minuscule, safe amount of a virus or bacteria that has been killed, is very weak, or has been artificially created. The immune system quickly learns to recognize this invader and defend the body against future attacks. Consequently, the next time the body is exposed to the virus or bacteria, the immune system kicks in and either prevents infection or weakens the severity of the illness.

Since the widespread introduction several decades ago of infant immunizations in the U.S., vaccine-preventable diseases have dropped to historically low levels. Following the recommended infant immunization schedule provides the best protection against 14 serious childhood illnesses early in life, before they are exposed to these diseases.

However, according to a study by the National Immunization Program, more than one in three children may be "under-vaccinated" for more than six months during the first two years of their lives, increasing their risk for highly contagious diseases such as measles. Many of these cases are a result of parents delaying their child’s vaccines, or not getting them at all.

To provide maximum protection, the right vaccinations need to be given at the right time. Most immunizations are given as a series of shots over a number of months or years beginning at two months of age and ending by age 6. Failing to immunize infants and children according to recommended schedules increases their own risk of illness, and opens the door for diseases to become more widespread in the community.

Following is a partial list of recommended immunizations, and the number of shots in each series:

• Hep B: Protects against the hepatitis B virus, an infection of the liver (3).
• DTaP: This combined vaccine protects against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis, also known as whooping cough (5).
• RV: Protects against rotavirus, which causes severe watery diarrhea, often with vomiting, fever, abdominal pain and dehydration.
• Hib: Protects against Haemophilus influenza type b, which can lead to meningitis, pneumonia and a severe throat infection (3-4).
• PCV (pneumococcal conjugate vaccine): Protects against pneumococcal disease which can cause ear infections and more serious illnesses (4).
• IPV (inactivated poliovirus): Protects against polio (4).
• MMR: Protects against measles, mumps, and rubella or German measles (2).
• Varicella: Protects against varicella, also known as chickenpox (2).
• Hep A: Protects against the hepatitis A virus.(2)

In recent years, some concern has been expressed about the safety of vaccines, especially combination vaccines that protect children against several diseases with one shot. However, both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Institute of Medicine agree that vaccines are not responsible for the number of children now recognized to have autism or ADHD. Moreover, they conclude that the benefits of immunization far outweigh the risks.

In most cases, immunization side effects are very mild and may include redness, soreness or slight swelling at the injection site. Rarely, a child may have a reaction to a shot, in which case the physician will recommend whether to continue with the rest of the series.  Parents who have questions or concerns should talk with their child’s physician.

Current information about immunizations and schedule recommendations are available at vaccineinformation.org, and the American Academy of Pediatrics’ website at aap.org. 

Mark Shalauta, MD, is a family medicine physician with Scripps Health. For more information or for physician referral, call 1-800-SCRIPPS or visit scripps.org.