What Parents Should Know About Vaccines

In the age of social media, it’s easier than ever for people’s opinions to be shared and boosted, even if those opinions aren’t based on fact. Unfortunately, in recent years there has been a lot of misinformation spread around vaccines: what’s in them, and the effect they have on the human body.

With so much misinformation, parents can find themselves burdened by the decision to get their kids vaccinated. From a medical perspective, the choice is clear: vaccines are the best way to keep your kid safe and healthy.

Dr. Sarah Palmer is a pediatrician with Community Physician Network, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. We sat down with her to discuss vaccines and common questions parents have about their benefits.

Are vaccines dangerous?

Most hesitation around vaccines comes from the understandable desire to keep their child safe and healthy. Take it from Dr. Palmer: getting vaccinated is the best way to do that.

“You don’t want to expose your kid to anything dangerous, and neither do we,” explains Dr. Palmer. “But vaccines aren’t what you should be worried about. The real danger is the diseases that vaccines keep at bay.”

“Polio. Tetanus. Whooping cough. Diphtheria. In the pre-vaccine era, nearly every family was affected by these diseases. Many lost children. That’s not the case today because we now know that they’re vaccine-preventable. It’s really hard to overstate the impact vaccines have on the landscape for children’s health”

Building a trusting relationship with your kid’s pediatrician is a great way to keep your kid healthy. Pediatricians want to create a two-way dialogue, so don’t be afraid to ask questions or express your concerns! With an open and trusting relationship with your pediatrician, you can work together toward the goal of keeping your child in the best health possible.

What’s in vaccines?

“If you’re worried about what’s in a particular vaccine, just ask your pediatrician,” urges Dr. Palmer. “Most vaccines come with data sheets that list all the ingredients. Your pediatrician can walk you through each one and help you understand their role in the vaccine.”

While every vaccine is unique, here are some common ingredients that AREN’T in any vaccines your kid might get:

• No disease-causing virus. There’s a common misconception that you can get sick from getting a vaccine. Thankfully that’s not the case, since vaccines don’t contain any disease-causing virus or bacteria. Instead, most use a protein that helps your kid’s body mount a defense without exposing them to the virus or bacteria. A few vaccines use a live but modified virus that don't cause disease. It’s true that your kid might have a mild reaction to the vaccine — that’s normal. It’s a sign that their body is starting to build up immunity.
• No mercury. While it’s true that early vaccines did use mercury-based products, there hasn’t been mercury in children’s vaccines since the 1990s.
• No dangerous preservatives. The preservatives that are present in vaccines are to keep them from expiring quickly. These are the same types of safe preservatives that you’ll find in any other medication or over-the-counter drug.
• Nothing that causes autism. There is no correlation between vaccines and autism. This is a dangerous misconception that is based on debunked science and misinformation. You can read more about it here.

“There’s nothing in a vaccine that’s going to hurt your child,” says Dr. Palmer. “Vaccines are the safest way to build your kid’s immunity and keep them safe.”

Why do kids need so many shots?

In short, it’s because there are a lot of diseases out there that can do serious harm to a kid’s health!

The medical community has established a vaccination schedule that provides kids with the best possible protection against life-threatening diseases. While there’s a laundry list of vaccines your child will benefit from in the first 15 years of life, many of them are combined into a single shot so it’s less painful for them.

If you have reservations about the frequency of immunizations, talk to your pediatrician. They may agree to space some vaccinations out over time. Please note that there’s no medical benefit to spacing out vaccinations, and it will be more painful for the child because they’ll have to get more shots in total.

When can my kid get the COVID-19 vaccine?

At the time of writing, the FDA has not approved any COVID-19 vaccines for use by children. That being said, Dr. Palmer has a word of hope for parents.

“If we can get the vast majority of the adult population vaccinated, we can get to a place where kids will be free to live more normal lives. As adults, we can all contribute to that future by getting the COVID-19 vaccine when it’s available for your age group.”

If you’d like more education on vaccines and their benefits, visit https://www.immunize.org. And as always, if you have any questions or concerns about your child’s health, your Community pediatrician is just a call away.