When it comes to the health of your child, there are a number of important decisions you have to make, from finding the right doctor to deciding whether or not to vaccinate. While it’s best to discuss vaccines with your pediatrician, physicians agree that immunizations keep your little one safe from many dangerous diseases. Consider the following reasons this treatment is essential to a healthy life.   

How Do Vaccines Work?

A vaccination stimulates the development of antibodies to provide immunity or resistance to one or more diseases. The vaccine often contains an agent that mimics the disease’s microorganisms, which allows your child’s body to produce antibodies to fight the toxins.

Some vaccinations combat multiple diseases, such as the DTaP, which is given in four to five doses before the age of 7 and protects against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (whooping cough). Others offer protection against one single disease, like chickenpox or polio.

What Are the Benefits of Vaccines?

When your child receives a vaccine, their immune system becomes trained to resist the disease it’s designed to treat. Once they fight that disease, they become immune to it, which protects them during an outbreak. Before vaccinations, the only way to become immune to a disease was to contract it and survive it. Additionally, preventing disease through vaccines is more cost-effective than treating the condition once it has spread.

Are Vaccinations Safe?

While every medical treatment has associated risks, childhood vaccinations have been created and monitored extensively for many years, Mild reactions, such as redness or soreness at the injection site, headache, or fever, may occur, but these symptoms are far less severe than contracting the virus they protect against. In rare instances, more serious interactions can occur, but these are incredibly isolated.

To get your child up to date on their vaccinations, visit Mante Pediatrics in Chester County, SC. Dr. Mante and his staff strive to create a calming environment, and their waiting room full of books, puzzles, and video games keeps children relaxed before their appointment. They treat kids from infancy through adolescence and follow the vaccine schedule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control. Visit them online for more details about their practice, and call (803) 385-2075 to request an appointment.