What to Know About Vaccinations for Children

The first thing I thought when I saw the CDC's latest list of recommended vaccinations for both kids and adults was: "This list is getting long." I was struck by how complicated this once-straightforward rite of passage has become for families. Here are some of the questions parents ask me most often.

1. Are kids today getting more vaccines?

Yes. By the time a child is 6, she will get about 10 routinely recommended immunizations--via nearly 30 shots. Infants may get up to five shots during a single visit. Those include shots for hepatitis A and B; diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough (in one shot); MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella); the Hib bacteria; pneumococcal disease; flu; polio; chicken pox; and a vaccine given by mouth for rota virus.

2. Can so many vaccines at once harm my child?

Vaccines inject a dose of germlike particles into a child's system, usually in weakened form. There may be concerns for children with an immune disorder or disease. Healthy kids' systems can handle the load. Indeed, says Dr. Jeanne Santoli of the CDC, the amount of germ particles in vaccines is "very, very small compared to what any of us is exposed to any day that we are living."

3. Why do kids even need vaccines?

Polio, tetanus, and whooping cough seem like dangers that belong to history. But it would be a mistake to conclude that the danger of those illnesses has passed. Indeed, whenever vaccination rates slip, those diseases come back. For example, a recent national measles outbreak occurred mostly among kids whose parents had not had them vaccinated. "We live in a global world, and diseases do not pay any attention to borders," says Dr. Santoli. Several of the recent outbreaks of measles and mumps, in fact, have been linked to exposures overseas.

4. Are vaccines safe?

Sometimes vaccines have serious side effects in certain individuals. But these instances are exceedingly rare. "We give millions and millions of doses of many vaccines each year," says Dr. Kristin Nichol, chief of medicine at the V.A. Medical Center in Minneapolis, "and we know that the vaccines in routine use are very safe." Many experts believe that any risk is far outweighed by the benefits--preventing disease and death.

Vaccines go through extensive testing before they are licensed in the U.S., explains Dr. Santoli. In addition, the CDC, other governmental organizations, and the pharmaceutical companies track the safety of a vaccine after it has been licensed.