Babies may get some temporary immunity (protection) from mom during the last few weeks of pregnancy—but only for the diseases to which mom is immune. Breastfeeding may also protect your baby temporarily from minor infections, like colds. These antibodies do not last long, leaving the infant vulnerable to disease.

Vaccines contain ingredients that cause the body to develop immunity. Vaccines also contain very small amounts of other ingredients—all of which play necessary roles either in making the vaccine, or in ensuring that the final product is safe and effective.

Talk with your doctor, but children can usually get vaccinated even if they have a mild illness like a cold, earache, mild fever, or diarrhea. If the doctor says it is okay, your child can still get vaccinated.

Your child needs a chickenpox vaccine because chickenpox can actually be a serious disease. In many cases, children experience a mild case of chickenpox, but other kids may have blisters that become infected. Others may develop pneumonia. There is no way to tell in advance the severity of the symptoms your child will experience.

Before entering school, young children can be exposed to vaccine-preventable diseases from parents and other adults, brothers and sisters, on a plane, at child care, or even at the grocery store.

Combination vaccines protect your child against more than one disease with a single shot. They reduce the number of shots and office visits your child would need, which not only saves you time and money, but also is easier on your child.

Some vaccine-preventable diseases, like pertussis (whooping cough) and chickenpox, remain common in the United States.

Children do not receive any known benefits from following schedules that delay vaccines.

The recommended schedule is designed to protect infants and children by providing immunity early in life, before they are exposed to life-threatening diseases.

Getting every recommended dose of each vaccine provides your child with the best protection possible.

Vaccines do not overload the immune system. Every day, a healthy baby’s immune system successfully fights off millions of germs. Antigens are parts of germs that cause the body’s immune system to go to work.

No. Scientific studies and reviews continue to show no relationship between vaccines and autism.

Vaccines can prevent infectious diseases that once killed or harmed many infants, children, and adults. Without vaccines, your child is at risk for getting seriously ill and suffering pain, disability, and even death from diseases like measles and whooping cough.

Vaccines, like any medication, may cause some side effects. Most of these side effects are very minor, like soreness where the shot was given, fussiness, or a low-grade fever

Yes. Vaccines are very safe. The United States’ long-standing vaccine safety system ensures that vaccines are as safe as possible. [...]