Childhood vaccines are a controversial topic. Parents may be confused about what to do when they have a child and they receive the recommended schedule for their child’s shots. There are a lot of myths about vaccinations. It can seem overwhelming for parents to know what to do. It is vital for parents to understand the truths about vaccines. Making a decision about whether or not their children should get vaccinated is a decision all parents will have to make. To make the right decision parents need to know the facts about vaccines, not the myths. Understanding the following myths is important to parents who are concerned about their childrens health. This article will help resolve some of the most popular childhood vaccination myths.
Myth 1: Living in the United States means children do not have to get vaccinated
Some people think that because of vaccines, many deadly diseases have been completely eliminated in the United States. Because they believe that the diseases no longer exist where they live, they think that their children do not have to get the vaccines. There is a little bit of the truth in the thought that vaccines have helped to completely wipe out diseases in the United States, but it is not completely true.
Vaccines have done their job very well. The amount of children who contract, get sick, and/or die from the diseases that we now have vaccines for has drastically decreased. But parents who believe their children do not need to get vaccinated for this reason need to remember that there are people who come to the United State, whether to visit or to stay, and the countries where they come from may still have diseases such as German measles and polio. So, although these diseases are no longer a major threat in the United States, if enough people do not get vaccinated and a visitor to the United States brings the disease, there could be a deadly outbreak.
Myth 2: My child is healthy, so he/she does not need vaccinations
Even though a child may be healthy, they can easily contract a dangerous childhood illness from another child. Kids come in contact with other children very often, either at school, church, daycare, the playground, or play dates. Even if precautions are taken to make sure they stay healthy, an overall healthy child could still get sick. It is very important for parents to learn about vaccines and the illnesses that vaccines protect children against.
Myth 3: Vaccines are not always effective, so my child does not need to get immunized
It is true that vaccines are not one hundred percent effective. But that does not mean that a child should not get a vaccine. The majority of the time vaccines will protect children from deadly diseases. And many times, even if the child does happen to get the disease that they have been vaccinated for, they will get a milder case. Getting the vaccine protects the child from a disease much more than if they were not to get the vaccine at all.
Myth 4: Vaccines increase a baby’s risk of SIDS
Some parents think that allowing their infant to get vaccines will increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS. There has been a lot of research done concerning this topic. Scientists have compared infants who have gotten vaccines to infants who have not received the vaccines and there does not seem to be an association with sudden infant death syndrome and infants who have received their vaccines.
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