As you make important decisions about vaccines for your children and yourself, do your research and talk to your doctor. The ultimate decision is yours, but certain vaccines, which have been around for decades, have demonstrated great efficacy and have saved the lives of many children, which is a factor that should weigh heavily in their favor.
Childhood vaccine schedule
There are many vaccines suggested by the CDC for your children, but certain vaccines are required by the first day of school in order to attend school in Pennsylvania. These include:
- Four doses of tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (DTaP). One dose on or after the 4th birthday.
- Four doses of polio (fourth dose on or after the 4th birthday)
- Two doses of measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)
- Three doses of hepatitis B
- Two doses of varicella (chickenpox) or evidence of immunity
- Seventh grade – in addition to those above, one dose of tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis (Tdap), and one dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4)
- 12th grade – in addition to those above, a second dose of MCV4
If not all the doses have been received by the first day of school, the child must receive the dose within five days, or if necessary, have a plan in place to receive the remaining doses, or the child could be expelled. However, parents may claim an exemption from any of these shots for medical, religious, or philosophical/moral/ethical reasons. Nonetheless, if there is an outbreak of a known preventable disease for which your child is not vaccinated, your child may be excluded from school during the outbreak.
Do your own research
The first vaccine is usually given to the child in the hospital, within 24 hours of birth. This is the hepatitis B vaccine (HepB). It is recommended for newborns to protect them from catching hepatitis B from infected people in their lives, who can pass it on unknowingly. Hepatitis B is spread primarily through unprotected sex, IV drug use, and other ways in which blood and body serum is exchanged, such as tattooing. If the mother carries hepatitis B in her blood, it is recommended that the baby get the vaccine within 12 hours. It is generally believed to provide lifelong immunity.
Discuss the HepB vaccine with your doctor and evaluate for yourself whether your child should receive the vaccine at the hospital. Sometimes, there are reasons such as low birth weight and premature birth to consider delaying this shot.
While you and your doctor may decide to alter the vaccination schedule, keep in mind that your child may not be able to matriculate in school or engage in certain sports or activities without written exemptions. Even then, private organizations may be unwilling to admit unvaccinated youth.
Adult vaccines
Just as you likely researched vaccines for your child, do the same for yourself. Make sure you use credible sites like the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Here on the BCHIP website, we have many vaccine articles based on research..
After doing your research and considering your particular circumstances, talk to your doctor. Make sure to discuss any pre-existing health conditions and how vaccines can play a part in protecting you. Your doctor will certainly respect your research and will share his or her expertise to help you come to a well-reasoned decision together about which vaccines you should get.
