The Truth Behind Vaccines (For Parents)

Overview

It's hard to see your child get a shot. It's even more complicated if you worry about the vaccine's safety or don't think your child needs it.

Every year, millions of parents take their children to pediatricians to receive vaccinations without worrying. Still, some parents believe that vaccines can cause serious health problems.

How can parents obtain information regarding the safety of vaccines? Your child's doctor is the first person you can trust as a credible source. Your doctor or nurse must give you written information about the pros and cons of each vaccine they recommend for your child. 

This article will disprove the misconceptions about vaccines that many parents believe. We will give the truth behind their false ideas by debunking myths with facts. 

But first, we will state what a vaccine is and how it works. We will also discuss the importance of vaccines.

What Are Vaccines and How Do They Work?

A vaccine is a biological material that protects people from bacterial and viral illnesses. It's also known as immunizations because they utilize the power of our immune system to prevent infectious diseases. To comprehend how vaccinations function, we must study how our immune system defends us against infections.

Vaccines work by inducing our immune system to make antibodies that fight the antigens trying to get in. Antigens are parts of germs that get the immune system functioning. Every day, a healthy baby's immune system fights off millions of germs and keeps them from getting sick.

If you want to know how long vaccines last, it varies. A few vaccines, like those for measles and hepatitis B, may provide lifelong immunity. Others, like tetanus, require booster doses for continuing protection.

The Importance of Immunization

 You might question, are vaccines important? Well, we are here to tell you, yes, they are. Since vaccines have been available for so long, many young people and parents are unaware of the damage infectious diseases have wreaked worldwide. 

In the United States, due to vaccines, most illnesses that used to kill or impair so many people no longer exist. That is why vaccines are a good prevention against infectious diseases.

Many individuals believe that these immunizations are no longer necessary. However, most of these diseases are still found in other places worldwide. 

Telling the Truth Behind Vaccines by Refuting the Myths

Many parents don't immunize their children because they believe vaccines are dangerous or cause diseases like autism.

Education is vital in providing parents with the knowledge they need to make informed vaccination decisions for their children.

1. MYTH: 

Since no one is now susceptible to these diseases, my child doesn't require vaccinations.

FACT:

The truth about vaccines is that these rare diseases still happen. All illnesses that vaccines could prevent have gone down because of vaccine programs. But when the number of immunized people drops, these diseases can return.

Many conditions that can be controlled with vaccines are still prevalent in other parts of the world. There is a real chance that these diseases will be brought here. Any child who hasn't been vaccinated is at risk when conditions are brought in from other places.

2. MYTH: 

Vaccines are not safe. 

FACT:

Before the FDA lets people use them, all vaccines are put through a series of tests before they can be approved and safe for public use.

Vaccines have a dead or weak version of the virus or bacteria that causes the disease. These induce the body to produce antibodies and other protective responses, shielding children from contracting the disease.

3. MYTH: 

Getting a vaccine will weaken your immune system.

FACT:

No, whether a pathogen is encountered naturally or through vaccination, the immune system produces antibodies against it. One vaccine truth is that getting a shot for one disease doesn't make the body less able to fight off another.

4. MYTH: 

A vaccine can cause the disease it's meant to stop.

FACT: 

One of the facts about vaccination is that you can't get the disease from a vaccine made with a virus or dead bacteria.

However, only vaccines made from live viruses that have been weakened, like chickenpox (varicella) and MMR vaccines, could cause a child to get a mild form of the disease. But, it is rarely as bad as if the child got sick from the virus that causes the disease. Nonetheless,  children with weak immune systems, like those being treated for cancer, may have trouble after getting these shots.

5. MYTH:

Multiple immunizations overburden babies' immune systems.

FACT:

Many studies are done before determining if different vaccines are safe. No one has shown that getting more than one vaccine is terrible. Children are exposed to many foreign substances that don't hurt them daily. Scientists say that the small amount of virus or bacteria in vaccines is not enough to endanger a child. But putting off a child's vaccines for no reason can be dangerous.

6. MYTH:

My child may negatively react to vaccines.

FACT:

The most common vaccine-related side effects are minimal, including fever, redness, and swelling at the injection site. And localized discomfort at the injection location.

Vaccines rarely cause more severe side effects, such as seizures or extreme allergic responses. Inform the doctor if your child has a history of food or medication allergies or if they have previously experienced a problem with a vaccine before any vaccinations are administered.

Millions of children are vaccinated yearly, and very few experience severe adverse effects.

Research is always finding ways to make vaccines safer.

The (AAP) recommends that physicians utilize diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine, which contains only specified sections of the dead pertussis cell instead of the whole cell. This vaccination, known as DTaP, has been linked to even fewer adverse effects.

7. MYTH:

Breastfeeding is enough to protect my baby from illnesses.

FACT:

Breastfeeding doesn't replace vaccines. Breastfeeding protects against respiratory, ear, and gastrointestinal diseases. This protection is incomplete, transitory, and can be ineffective if your child is exposed to a particular pathogen in sufficient doses.

Doctors Can Tell You More Vaccine Truths

We offer immunization services at AR Texas Pediatrics. Our experienced specialists are ready to give you the information you need. We will recommend appropriate vaccines and a schedule for your convenience. 

If you have queries or want to set up an appointment, you can click on the link or call this number, 281-484-7619.