4-7-09

Infant immunizations

Immunizations are one of the most important ways parents can protect their children against serious diseases.

Infants and children are particularly vulnerable to infectious diseases, so it is critical they be protected through immunization.  Vaccines have been one of the most important breakthroughs in medicine says Dr. Craig Batterman,  assistant professor of pediatrics at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield.  He explains the first vaccines given to infants.

SOUND BITE: “The first immunization is given basically at birth.  At one or two days old, we vaccinate against hepatitis B virus.  And then the follow-up immunizations are given at two, four and six months.  And then that continues on at 12, 15, 18 months and so on.”

Some of the other diseases that children are vaccinated for include meningitis, polio, whooping cough, chicken pox, mumps and measles.  Dr. Batterman says that vaccines given to infants are very safe.

SOUND BITE: “. . .  they’re unequivocally safe.  It has been studied time and time again.  All the concerns about the different additives and ingredients in immunizations has been looked at thoroughly by the CDC, the National Institutes of Health, NIH, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.”

If patents have questions about vaccines, they should talk to their child’s pediatrician or family physician, who can explain why infant vaccinations are so important.  More information is available on-line from the American Academy of Pediatrics at www.aap.org.

This is Ruth Slottag at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield.