Your Child’s Health: Understanding the Importance of Vaccinations

Your child’s immune system is an amazing part of their body, protecting them against invading germs and diseases. As your child encounters bacteria, pathogens, and infections, their immune system learns how to fight off specific diseases and sicknesses.

Modern medicine supports the process of immune system development in children through vaccination. Getting a vaccine introduces the immune system to trace amounts of specific pathogens – not enough to result in sickness, but enough to train the immune system to recognize and respond effectively to that type of germ, warding off serious illness.

The family medicine doctors at Living Water Clinic care about preventing diseases from harming children in our care area in Tulare County, California. Our team provides vaccinations from our four locations, including at our rural clinic, Clinica Agua Viva, in Lindsay and Woodlake, California.

Pediatric medicine includes a scientifically designed schedule for early childhood and adolescent immunization. Here’s some helpful information about the benefits of childhood vaccinations and which vaccines your child needs and when.

Why Your Child Needs Vaccinations

Vaccines use weakened or inactivated forms of specific bacteria or viruses, teaching young immune systems how to recognize and fight off these dangerous invaders. After receiving a vaccine, your child’s immune system reacts, building immunity that can last a lifetime.

In the past, before safe and effective vaccines were developed, diseases like chicken pox, measles, whooping cough, and polio could harm the health of babies, children, and teens. Children could even die from transmissible infections. Vaccination lowers the risk of child and infant mortality.

Vaccination is a community issue. When most of the children in a community are vaccinated, it’s harder for diseases to spread due to the widespread immunity. In the United States, community vaccination even eliminated terrible childhood diseases like polio. Children who can’t safely receive vaccinations rely on community vaccination for protection.

Babies are born with limited immunity, and they can receive antibodies through breastfeeding that help their immune system start to grow. But your child needs vaccinations shortly after birth as well to protect them from diseases that could cause lasting harm or death.

If you have concerns about the safety of your child’s vaccination plan, talk to your primary care provider at Living Water Clinic to learn the facts about safe and effective childhood vaccination.

The Pediatric Vaccination Schedule

Our recommended pediatric vaccination schedule is based on scientific evidence, balancing risks to your child to provide the best protection possible. Vaccines for babies and children are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Your child needs certain vaccines between birth and 18 months, including:

• Hepatitis B (given between birth and 1 month)
• Multidose bundled pediatric vaccinations for DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis), polio, hepatitis B, PedvaxHIB, rotavirus, and Prevnar (2 months, 4 months, and 6 months)
• Hepatitis A, MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), varicella, and Prevnar (12 months)
• DTaP and PedvaxHIB (15 months)
• Hepatitis A (18 months)
• After 6 months of age, it’s safe for your child to start getting a yearly flu prevention shot.

Your child continues to need vaccinations after 18 months of age, although not as many. Around age 3, we vaccinate your child for chicken pox (varicella), and 4-year-olds are vaccinated with MMR and Kinrix.

Your child should receive another round of vaccinations at age 11, and again as a teenager.

We deliver many of your child’s vaccinations at regularly scheduled well-child visits. Shots can be scary, so our primary care team makes sure to provide lots of support during these times. If your child is behind on vaccinations, your pediatrician helps you catch up.

Our exceptional Physical Assistant, Jose Corvera, provides great service to children at our Woodlake location. To schedule an appointment for your child at our Woodlake location, contact us at  (559)-564-1100.

You can also schedule a vaccination appointment for your child, or to get answers to your questions about childhood vaccinations, contact the pediatric experts at Living Water Clinic. Call our caring family practice at 559-784-5483 to see one of our vaccination specialists in Porterville, Woodlake, Visalia, and Lindsay, California.