We all want the best when it comes to our child’s safety. The best car seats, strollers, cribs…anything that can help protect them. But, what about when it comes to protecting their health? Vaccinating your child could help save their life.

“It used to be, some diseases were very common and caused a lot of deaths or injuries over time,” said Dr. Victor Vargas, with Community Regional Medical Center’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. “Now, because of vaccinations, they are less frequent.”
 

All vaccines are carefully reviewed and tested by scientists and healthcare professionals before given to children. Serious side effects following vaccination are very rare. The benefits of getting vaccines are much greater than the possible side effects for almost all children.
 

 

“When we go to school, we assume our kids are protected, but there may be kids that are not,” says Vargas. “The more kids that are unprotected, the more the diseases will go around.”

Some vaccine-preventable diseases can result in prolonged disabilities and can take a financial toll on families. Vargas says the best way to prevent this is to make sure your child is up to date with their immunizations. “And even with a vaccine, there's still a risk. But it's less.”  
 

 

Vaccines have reduced and, in some cases, eliminated many diseases that killed or severely disabled people just a few generations ago, like Polio. “The more people we have vaccinated, the more protection we get to everybody, and the less severe complications or incidence of deaths, can happen out of those diseases,” Vargas said.

The vaccines you should keep in mind for younger children include:

If you aren’t sure what vaccinations your child has had, contact your pediatrician.

“At the end of the day, it's the protection of your kid’s health. You will do everything possible to help them with a better future,” Vargas said.

Click here to learn more about vaccines at no cost to children from low-income families.