Will multiple injections overwhelm or weaken my baby’s immune system?
NO, your baby’s immune system is AMAZING! It could handle thousands of vaccines even if they were given at the same time.
- From the minute they are born, babies come into contact with trillions (1 000 000 000 000) of germs and their immune system protects them.
- Vaccines never “use up” your body’s immune system. This is because the body is always making more and more immune system cells to protect you all the time. This is just like when you give blood, your body constantly makes more.
In fact, vaccines can strengthen the immune system-a study of over 400 German children found that children who received immunizations against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, Hib, and polio within the first 3 months of life had fewer infections with vaccine-related and -unrelated germs than a similar group of children who had not been vaccinated (1).
- Additionally, immunizing against one disease can also protect your baby from other diseases.
DID YOU KNOW?
Getting immunized against chickenpox also reduces your chance of contracting Flesh Eating Disease? A healthy child is 40-60 times more likely to get sick with Flesh eating disease when they have chickenpox.
Will vaccines work as well when given together?
YES, vaccines work just as well together.When new vaccines are being developed they are tested alongside other vaccines that are already in the schedule. We also know that babies do not experience more side effects when more than one vaccine is given at a time. Vaccines are designed to protect the baby as soon as possible against more than one thing.
Does My Baby Really Need All of These Shots?
YES – these diseases could really harm or even kill your baby.
Sometimes it can seem like babies get a lot of immunizations in the first year of life. This is because babies are MOST AT RISK of getting seriously sick or dying from a vaccine preventable diseases in the first two years of life. The vaccine schedule makes sure that they have the best protection possible, as soon as possible.
- Babies have strong immune systems which can protect them against many germs, but there are some germs which they can’t fight very well. Vaccines protect against these germs.
- Babies response to vaccines is often not as strong or as long lasting as the response that adults make, for this reason they need to get more than one dose of some vaccines to make sure they have the best ongoing protection.
- It is important to protect your baby as soon as possible.
It’s Just Like…
Would you only buckle up your kids in the car half the time? Not getting all of your shots at the same time is like taking a chance of not strapping them in a seatbelt for the first six months of life. It’s important to protect them at all ages – that’s what vaccines given together actually do. Seatbelts protect your baby’s body on the outside. Vaccines protect it on the inside.
(1) Otto S, Mahner B, Kadow I, et al. General non-specific morbidity is reduced after vaccination within the third month of life—the Greifswald study. J Infect.2000; 41 :172 –175