Childhood Immunization (Vaccination) Schedule

Medical Author: David Perlstein, MD, FAAP
Medical Editor: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

• Why do we need vaccines?
• How do vaccines work?
• What childhood vaccines are recommended, and at what ages they should be given?
• What if your child misses a shot?
• What are the vaccine-preventable diseases?
• Related Vaccines Articles:
  Vaccines - on WebMD

Why do we need vaccines?

None of us wants to see our children get sick. If we could, we would protect them from any illness, no matter how small—even the sniffles.

Now suppose you could make your child safe from some of the most deadly diseases in history...And suppose that at the same time you could also help protect your neighbors' children and other children around the country from the same diseases...And finally, suppose you could actually help to rid the world of some of these diseases that have been crippling and killing children for centuries.

You can do all of these things with one of the easiest and yet most powerful health tools ever developed. You can make sure your children get their shots.

How do vaccines work?

When you receive a vaccine, it helps your body to create antibodies. Antibodies are the body's defenses that fight off any foreign substances (germs). Although your body can create antibodies on its own, most of the vaccine-preventable diseases cause severe illness and even death before enough antibodies are produced.

Immunization (vaccination) schedule

Vaccines work best when they are given at certain ages. For example, measles vaccine is not usually given until a child is at least 1 year old. If it is given earlier than that, it may not work as well. On the other hand, the DTaP vaccine should be given over a period of time, in a series of properly spaced doses. More information about the specific diseases your child is vaccinated against is listed later in this article.

Following is a description of the routine childhood immunization schedule. It is published each year by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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