No one likes getting shots. It especially can be uncomfortable for small children and their parents who bring them to the doctor — at least for a few minutes. But getting a child properly immunized is one of the most important decisions a parent can make for the safety and welfare of his or her child, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP).
August is National Immunization Awareness Month. Emergency physicians see patients every day who are not appropriately immunized. ACEP recognizes that vaccine-preventable infectious diseases have an effect on the health of adults and children.
The nation’s emergency physicians urge all parents and children to work with their primary care physicians, including pediatricians, to make sure everyone in their family is up-to-date on all necessary vaccinations and to set up a vaccination schedule.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that children younger than 2 years of age can be protected from 14 potentially serious diseases with vaccines. By the time a child is 2 years old, they should have been vaccinated for chickenpox, measles, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, flu as well as others.
For a complete immunization schedule, visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules.
And for more tips, visit www.emergencycareforyou.org.
