In most places, vaccinations are not mandatory, but that does not mean they are not important. Vaccines, in general, are not just important for your child’s health but also for the health of the general population, including other people’s children who interact with yours. Immunizations have saved lives in exponential ways.
Vaccines have become a ubiquitous part of basic child care, with children receiving their first vaccination as early as one month old. While there are many different types of vaccinations, some vaccines are very common. The following are five of the most common vaccines that your child will receive.
1. Chicken Pox
The chicken pox vaccine is one of the most well-known vaccines and is also known as varicella. Unlike most vaccines, this one has often come off as a recommendation rather than a part of the vaccination regimen simply because chicken pox is not a common illness today. It should be noted that your child should be vaccinated if another child in their school has been reported to have contracted the illness.
2. Measles, Mumps, and Rubella
This is another common vaccine and is also known as the MMR vaccine. The vaccines are combined for convenience instead of giving separate shots for each of the illnesses. It is administered in two separate doses that are given years apart and is considered one of the most successful vaccines thanks to the near-eradication of the three diseases it immunizes against.
3. Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis
Like the MMR vaccine, the DTaP vaccine is a combination of three separate disease vaccines for a matter of convenience. These diseases are still relatively common today, and people actually need to receive this vaccination throughout their lives, although it is only necessary if there is risk of exposure to one of the illnesses. As children, people will receive these immunizations starting at two months and then at intervals until a final dose from four to six years of age.
4. Hepatitis
This vaccine comes in two forms to fight the different types of Hepatitis: hepatitis A (HepA) and hepatitis B (HepB). These viruses infect the liver and can be particularly dangerous for children who are still developing. This vaccine is administered twice within the first three years of the child’s life.
5. Influenza
This is probably the most common of all vaccines and should be given every year over a person’s lifetime. The flu is one of the most adaptable viruses, and thus, immunizations are difficult to achieve with this virus. As such, regular vaccination is important to keep from falling ill from the disease.
Immunizations are important to make sure your kids live a healthy childhood and remain healthy throughout their adult lives. Vaccines are some of the few things that your child will carry with them for the rest of their lives and will ensure that your child will not get sick from diseases that, in the past, were considered outright death sentences.