Katana VentraIP

Childhood immunizations in the United States

The schedule for childhood immunizations in the United States is published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).[1] The vaccination schedule is broken down by age: birth to six years of age, seven to eighteen, and adults nineteen and older. Childhood immunizations are key in preventing diseases with epidemic potential.

soreness at injection site (1 in 4 children)

fever of 99.9 degrees Fahrenheit or higher (1 in 15 children)

brief fainting spell

Irritability

Mild, temporary diarrhea or vomiting

Diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus[edit]

DTaP[edit]

The DTaP is a combination vaccine that covers three diseases; Diphtheria, Pertussis and Tetanus. The DTaP vaccine is given as a 5-shot series at 2, 4, and 6 months, the fourth between 12 and 15 months, and the last between 4–6 years. A booster is recommended to be given between 11 and 12 years of age and is called Tdap.[2] Some potential side effects of DTaP are; mild:

redness, warmth or swelling at the injection site

fever

about half the children become drowsy

temporary loss of appetite

redness or tenderness at injection site

1 in 3 have swelling at injection site

about 1 in 3 have mild fever

about 1 in 20 have a higher fever (102.2 degrees Fahrenheit or higher)

up to 8 in 10 become fussy or irritable

fever

fatigue

nausea

headache

flu-like symptoms

stiffness in the neck and back

pain in the limbs

soreness, redness or swelling at injection site

hoarseness

sore, red or itchy eyes

fever

aches

headache

itching

fatigue

soreness, redness and/or rash at the injection site (1 in 5 children)

fever (1 in 10 or fewer)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

soreness at the injection site (1 in 2 adults, 1 in 6 children)

headache (1 in 6 adults and 1 in 25 children)

loss of appetite (1 in 12 children)

tiredness (1 in 14 adults)

Measles, mumps and rubella[edit]

MMR Vaccine[edit]

For this there are two different vaccines, the MMR and the MMRV. The MMR protects against measles, mumps and rubella and is given in 2 doses between 12 and 15 months of age. The MMRV protects against measles, mumps, rubella and varicella.[48]


Some side effects of the MMR vaccine are[2]

redness or pain at injection site

small percentage of people develop a fever

pain at injection site (9 in 10)

redness or swelling at injection site (1 in 2)

fever of 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher (1 in 8)

headache or fatigue (1 in 2)

nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal pain (1 in 4)

brief fainting

Anti-vaccination[edit]

The modern anti-vaccination movement gained fuel from the alleged relationship between autism and the use of thiomersal in vaccines, in which a study was published by Andrew Wakefield in 1998 that showed that the Thimerosal in the routine children's MMR vaccine caused autism. The original study can be found at The Lancet.[64] It was later shown that his study was falsified and Wakefield was stripped of his license to practice medicine. A list of refutations of Wakefield's study can be found at the American Academy of Pediatrics.[65] Many studies performed afterward have shown no correlations between thimerosal and autism.