What are childhood immunizations?

Answer 1

Childhood immunization is the practice of immunizing, or vaccinating, children against certain diseases such as tetanus, polio, measles, whooping cough, etc. The vaccinations are usually given by needle or oral drops, and they allow the child to build antibodies in the immune system without actually acquiring the disease itself. Medical bodies in each country will usually have a schedule to follow of what age each vaccine should be given and in what doses. Some vaccines need to repeated at certain intervals, possibly into adulthood, such as the tetanus vaccine.

Vaccinations have basically erradicated some diseases in certain countries. There is some controversy over the subject of childhood immunization though. Many believe that immunization should be done as it benefits the child, the entire community, and there are minimal side effects. Usually side effects include things like a headache, runny nose, slight fever, etc. though there is a slight risk of severe reactions or death. These severe side effects are said to be minimal or negligible. However there is a growing group that believe that vaccines may not be as safe as the medical profession would have us believe. It has even been put forward that childhood vaccination may be responsible for the increase in autism.

Children who are vaccinated will usually not contract the diseases they are vaccinated against, or only have mild symptoms of the disease if they come in contact with it. Not vaccinating your child leaves them vunerable to the many childhood diseases for which vaccination is available. It is up to each parent to decide whether they feel that immunizing their child is of a benefit more than what they believe the risks to be. There are many websites, both for and against, that can help parents make a more informed choice.