Children and Vaccines

Find out what’s new and recommended regarding childhood vaccinations

Most American children get 10 immunizations for 11 different diseases before age 2. “That may seem like a lot,” says Raj Totlani, M.D., pediatrician with Lehigh Valley Health Network. “But almost all the old combination vaccines now are given as single shots.”

The disease-causing factors in most vaccines are removed, he says, so your child can’t get even a mild case of the illness from the vaccine. The only live vaccines—for chicken pox and measles-mumps-rubella (MMR)—are greatly weakened. Some parents worry that immunizations raise their child’s risk for developing asthma or diabetes. Scientific studies have found no link. The same is true for claims that the preservatives in vaccines (mercury or thimerosol) can cause autism. “Autism often is diagnosed during the same time period when children are being immunized,” Totlani says, “but many studies have shown that immunization is not the cause.” Because of public pressure, vaccine manufacturers are eliminating those two preservatives.

Totlani urges parents to have their children immunized. “Being from India, I know about the large number of infants and children who die when vaccination is not routine,” he says. “Your children have a far greater risk for harm from not being immunized than from any potential side effects.”

To learn more information about the immunization schedule, call 610-402-CARE.

This page last updated 2/9/10 02:07 PM