Childhood Vaccinations and Why They Matter
In the last century, science has learned more about the power of vaccines to increase immune protection. Vaccination has virtually wiped out many serious and life-threatening diseases, like polio. Vaccination is still an essential part of your child’s health care needs.
The United States CDC recommends that children start receiving vaccines in the first years of life, with some being delivered in the days right after birth. Early vaccination helps your child’s immune system develop and strengthen.
You want to trust the most experienced and knowledgeable care team with building your child’s future immunity and safeguarding your child’s health. Expert pediatrician Ugonma Harriet Okparaocha, MD, and her team at Laurel Pediatric & Teen Medical Center provide safe and gentle vaccination delivery from Bel Air, Maryland offices.
Without vaccination, your child could be at risk of contracting a serious illness like measles, chickenpox, or pertussis (whooping cough). Here’s what Dr. Okparaocha wants her new and existing patients to know about the importance of childhood vaccinations.
How do vaccines work?
The science of vaccination uses calibrated doses of inactivated viruses to teach your child’s developing immune system how to fight off specific germs. If your child is exposed to disease later in life after being vaccinated, their immune system will recognize the pathogen and successfully spring into action to repel the invader.
At Laurel Pediatric & Teen Medical Center, we provide childhood vaccinations for diseases including:
- Chickenpox
- Diphtheria
- Hepatitis A and B
- Hib
- Influenza (flu)
- Measles
- Mumps
- Pertussis/whooping cough
- Polio
- Pneumococcal
- Rotavirus
- Rubella
- Tetanus
- HPV
When your child should get vaccinated
Childhood vaccinations need to be delivered on a schedule designed to optimize your child’s immune protections and overall health and wellbeing. The Laurel Pediatric & Teen Medical Center provides childhood vaccinations starting with newborn care, helping your baby develop critical immunities in the first months of life.
We continue to provide shots and boosters according to the ACIP or AAP vaccination schedule for children. Some vaccines can be given bundled together for easier appointments and fewer shots. If you’re concerned about your child’s suggested vaccination schedule, Dr. Okparaocha can discuss your child’s healthcare plan with you and answer any questions you may have.
Safe and effective childhood vaccines
The safe and effective vaccination schedules we use to protect children from disease have saved hundreds of thousands and prevented the spread of potentially life-threatening childhood diseases like polio and measles.
The tragedies that impacted previous generations can be successfully prevented with widespread childhood vaccination. Vaccinating your child protects them and also protects your whole community by reducing opportunities for childhood diseases to spread and circulate.
Your child might have some redness and swelling after a vaccination shot, and getting injections can be scary for some children. The Laurel Pediatric & Teen Medical Center staff can help with any appointment-time anxieties and distress, and Dr. Okparaocha monitors your child for any signs of an allergic reaction. Severe, long-lasting reactions to vaccines are extremely rare.
To learn more about how safe and effective childhood vaccinations can protect your child and help to build strong immune systems, get in touch with Dr. Okparaocha and the Laurel Pediatric & Teen Medical Center team today. You can book an appointment online or give us a call now.