Childhood Vaccinations

The first step in addressing the common questions and concerns parents have regarding vaccines is to remind ourselves of the purpose of vaccines. Vaccines are meant to help prevent illness and disease. Some vaccines prevent very serious and even life-threatening diseases. Others prevent typically less serious but far more common illnesses (such as chicken pox). In either case, they work by helping each child's immune system familiarize itself with and learn to fight off certain bacteria or viruses without having to actually experience the infection. The resulting protection is called immunity.