Download the entire Caring for Children document in PDF format here.
- Asthma
- Bronchiolitis
- Chickenpox
- Colic
- Common Cold
- Constipation
- Cough
- Croup
- Diaper Rash
- Diarrhea
- Ear Infections
- Eye Infections
- Fever in Children
- Fifth Disease
- Fluoride
- Head Injuries
- Head Lice
- Immunizations
- Lead Poisonings
- Lyme Disease
- Nosebleeds
- Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, Poison Sumac
- Poisonings
- Scabies
- Sensitive Skin or Eczema
- Sore Throat/Strep Throat
- Thrush
- Vomiting
Caring for Children: Immunizations
Immunizations protect not only your child but the entire community. It is a responsibility shared by parents and pediatricians to halt the spread of disease and to prevent the crippling consequences of them. An injection hurts only a short time, but it may offer a lifetime of protection.
Routine immunizations are available to protect your child against eleven major diseases: polio, measles, mumps, German measles (rubella), chickenpox, whooping cough (pertussis), diphtheria, tetanus, haemophilus infections (meningitis, epiglottitis), pneumococcal infections (pneumonia, meningitis, blood infections), and hepatitis B. Any of these diseases can disable or kill. Each of the vaccines has some potential side effects, which parents should make themselves aware. The side effects or complications of the vaccines must be weighed against the fact that the disease itself causes far more complications than the vaccine.
As new vaccines are developed and made available, they are added to the schedule of immunizations recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. For the most recent recommended immunization schedule for your child click here.
