Children’s vaccinations are a sensitive topic. When considering to vaccinate your child it is important to remember that every medical procedure may come with side effects. The risk of dangerous or serious side effects from vaccinations is very small, especially when compared to the benefits provided by vaccinations. In general the diseases that you are protecting a child from when it is receiving a vaccine, is far more dangerous than any potential side effects from the vaccination. Prevention of an illness is always a better option than allowing your child to get sick with any complications.

An example of one of the diseases against which children can be vaccinated is chickenpox. This disease is often seen as relatively harmless, but can cause a lot of uncomfortable side effects. One in ten children that did not receive vaccination for this disease will end up experiencing complications that are serious enough to visit a doctor. On top of that most children suffering from chickenpox will end up with between 200 to 500 painful sores on their bodies. Before the chickenpox vaccine was in use, between 100 and 150 people died of the disease every year, in the U.S. Alone. Chickenpox may cause a stroke in children, even within the year after having suffered from the disease.

There are very few reasons why a child should not be immunized. Ordinarily common illnesses like a cold or a diarrhea are not impediments against getting your child vaccinated.  There are certain situations though, where you must let your healthcare provider know of your child’s conditions. Following are some of them:

•    The child has a high fever
•    He has had a bad reaction to another immunization
•    He has had a severe reaction after eating eggs
•    Has had convulsions in the past.
•    He has had, or is having, treatment for cancer
•    He has any illness which affects the immune system, for example, HIV or AIDS.
•    He is taking any medicine which affects the immune system, for example, immunosuppressants

If you have your child vaccinated you are not only protecting your child, but also those around them. Children meet a lot of people every day and daycare centers, schools and playgrounds are the main places where a disease is spread from one child to another. If you choose to have your child vaccinated you are choosing to protect the child itself and any children and senior citizens around it from a disease. It is important to receive vaccinations on time. Talk to your doctor about a vaccination plan if you want your child to receive all the necessary vaccinations.