Vaccines strengthen your body’s natural defenses. They are the safest and most effective way to protect yourself and your family from many preventable diseases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Vaccines are one of the few ways we have to eliminate—or mostly eliminate—certain diseases. But often, for this approach to be effective, almost everyone needs to get vaccinated, according to Jennifer Duchon, MD, MPH, DrPH, a pediatrician and an expert in infectious diseases. In this Q&A, Dr. Duchon, who is Hospital Epidemiologist and Director of Antimicrobial Stewardship at the Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, discusses why vaccines are important, especially for young children, and why you should talk with your doctor or health care provider if you have any questions about them.
Jennifer Duchon, MD, MPH, DrPH
Why are vaccines important? Vaccines help keep us healthy on several levels. On a personal level, getting vaccinated prevents you from getting sick or from developing the worst complications of a vaccine preventable disease, such as hospitalization or death. On a community level, getting vaccinated keeps your family and friends safe. Some people cannot get vaccines; they may be too young or may have a compromised immune system or some other health issue that makes them unable to receive a vaccine. But if you’re vaccinated, your risk of transmitting the disease is usually much lower. Which means you help others near you avoid getting the disease.
How does that work? In a particular population, we need a percentage of people vaccinated to prevent the spread of certain diseases. For example, for measles, which we consider to be eliminated in the United States due to an effective vaccine, we need about 95 percent of the local population to be vaccinated to prevent spread. Even a small outbreak can spread farther and faster than you’d think, and as fewer people are vaccinated, epidemic spread of a disease is possible. Remember, we’re all citizens of the world, and we have a responsibility to protect people who can’t protect themselves from vaccine-preventable diseases.
What vaccines do children need? We recommend several vaccines for children. Some start at birth; others we administer later. Some are single vaccines, while others require multiple doses to build up immunity, or yearly vaccination to combat emerging disease mutations. For the exact vaccination schedule, check out the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) vaccine schedule and the CDC website. These vaccines include:
- During a child’s first year, we administer vaccines to protect against hepatitis, Streptococcus pneumoniae; Haemophilus influenzae (which are bacteria that cause meningitis, blood stream infections and ear infections); tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis; and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus).
- At one year of age of older, children receive one vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella, known as the MMR vaccine, as well as for varicella (chickenpox) . When they reach 4 to 6 years of age (typically school age), they need a booster shot for some of these diseases, including the MMR and varicella vaccines.
- Booster shots for tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis are also needed after the primary series.
- We also recommend certain vaccines for older school age kids, to protect against diseases such as Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and meningococcal disease.
There are also some vaccines available for people with certain medical conditions as well as boosters for pregnant and elderly people. In addition, there are vaccines adults and children need annually, such as flu and COVID-19.
If I have any questions or concerns about vaccines, what should I do?
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask your doctor or your child’s doctor. It’s important to know that all the vaccines listed on the AAP and CDC schedules have been studied extensively for safety and efficacy. Even the newest vaccines have been researched very carefully. The CDC continues to collect information about the safety of all vaccines; there are mechanisms in place for anyone—the public, a health care provider, or a health department—to report adverse reactions. The CDC studies these results, looking for trends. I recommend speaking to your primary care pediatrician, your family doctor, your obstetrician, or whomever you see regularly, have a long-term relationship with, and trust. You know these doctors—and you know they have your and your child’s best interests at heart. I always recommend asking as many questions as you want.