Vaccines

Childhood vaccines are crucial in protecting your child from serious and potentially life-threatening diseases. Understanding the importance and schedule of pediatric vaccines is essential for ensuring your child’s long-term health and well-being.

At Pediatric Associates of Austin, our team of family physicians is dedicated to providing comprehensive pediatric care, including up-to-date vaccination services to safeguard your child’s health. Contact us today!

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What Are Vaccines?

Vaccines are biological preparations that provide immunity to specific diseases. They contain agents that resemble a disease-causing microorganism and are often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe, its toxins, or one of its surface proteins.

When administered, vaccines stimulate the body’s immune system to recognize the agent as a threat, destroy it, and keep a record of it, allowing the immune system to more easily recognize and destroy any of these microorganisms that it later encounters.

Types of Vaccines

There are several types of vaccines, each designed to teach the immune system how to fight off certain kinds of germs:

Live Attenuated Vaccines: These use a weakened form of the germ that causes a disease. Examples include the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and the varicella (chickenpox) vaccine.
Inactivated Vaccines: These are made from a protein or other small pieces taken from a virus or bacteria. Examples include the polio vaccine and the hepatitis A vaccine.
Subunit, Recombinant, Polysaccharide, and Conjugate Vaccines: These use specific pieces of the germ—like its protein, sugar, or capsid (a casing around the germ). Examples include the HPV vaccine, the hepatitis B vaccine, and the meningococcal vaccine.
Toxoid Vaccines: These contain a toxin produced by the germ that has been made harmless. The immune system learns how to fight off the natural toxin. Examples include diphtheria and tetanus vaccines.

Some vaccines are given as single-shot vaccines, whereas others are available as combination vaccines. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends combination vaccines where possible to reduce the number of shots your child will take.

Types of Pediatric Vaccines

Following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, here are some vaccines that your child may receive:

Hepatitis B: Protects against hepatitis B virus.
Rotavirus: Protects against rotavirus, which causes diarrhea.
Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis (DTaP): Protects against these three diseases.
Haemophilus Influenzae Type B (Hib): Protects against Haemophilus influenza Type B infections.
Pneumococcal Conjugate (PCV13): Protects against pneumococcal bacteria.
Inactivated Poliovirus (IPV): Protects against polio.
Influenza (Flu): Recommended annually for protection against the flu.
Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR): Protects against these three diseases.
Varicella: Protects against chickenpox.
Hepatitis A: Protects against hepatitis A virus.
Human Papillomavirus (HPV): Protects against HPV infections.
Meningococcal: Protects against meningococcal disease.

When Your Child Should Get Vaccinated

The timing of vaccinations is crucial for ensuring their effectiveness. The CDC provides a recommended vaccine schedule for children and adolescents, starting from birth through 18 years. Here is a brief overview:

Birth: Hepatitis B
2 months: DTaP, Hib, IPV, PCV15, Rotavirus
4 months: DTaP, Hib, IPV, PCV15, Rotavirus
6 months: DTaP, Hib, IPV, PCV15, Rotavirus, Influenza (annually)
12-15 months: MMR, Varicella, Hepatitis A, Hib, PCV13
4-6 years: DTaP, IPV, MMR, Varicella
11-12 years: Tdap, HPV, Meningococcal
16-18 years: Meningococcal booster

How Long Do Vaccines Last?

The duration of protection from vaccines can vary. Some vaccines, like the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, typically provide lifelong immunity after the complete series. Others, like the tetanus vaccine, require booster shots to maintain immunity over time. Due to the rapidly changing nature of flu viruses, the flu vaccine needs to be administered annually.

Reasons for Children to Get Vaccinated

Vaccinations are essential for several reasons:

Protection from Diseases: Babies are born with immune systems that can Vaccines protect children from various serious and potentially fatal diseases.
Community Immunity: Vaccinating your child helps protect those who cannot receive certain vaccines due to medical conditions.
Preventing Outbreaks: High vaccination rates prevent the spread of infectious diseases within communities.
Safe and Effective: Vaccines undergo rigorous testing to ensure they are safe and effective for children.

Vaccine Concerns

It is natural for parents to have concerns about vaccines. Common concerns include the following:

Are vaccines safe?

Vaccines are thoroughly tested and monitored for safety. Side effects are generally mild and temporary.

Will the vaccine make my child sick?

Some worry about ingredients in vaccines, but these are present in such small amounts that they do not pose a risk.

At Pediatric Associates of Austin, we are committed to providing accurate information and addressing any concerns you may have about vaccinations.

Contact Pediatric Associates of Austin

Ensuring your child receives the recommended vaccinations is one of the most important steps you can take to protect their health. Schedule an appointment with Pediatric Associates of Austin today to discuss your child’s vaccination schedule and keep them up to date with their immunizations. Our team is here to support your family with comprehensive pediatric care in Austin, Texas.