Vaccines protect your baby from serious infections such as polio , measles, chicken pox, tetanus and many other childhood infections. They build up your body’s defenses against these serious infections. The vaccines used for immunization are made up of weakened or “killed” versions of the bacteria or virus that causes a particular disease. The immune system mounts an attack that results in the production of antibodies when the vaccine is taken orally or injected. These antibodies once produced remain active in the body and ready to fight off a real infection.

What Shots Does My Child Need, and When ?

Hepatitis B : It protects against hepatitis B infection.

Schedule

• at birth
• between 1 – 2 months
• between 6 – 18 months

Rotavirus : It protects against rotavirus. This vaccine is given orally

Schedule

• 2 months
• 4 months
• 6 months – not needed if the Rotarix brand of vaccine was given at 2 and 4 months

DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis) : It protects against  diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough ( pertussis )

Schedule

• 2 months
• 4 months
• 6 months
• between 15 – 18 months – it can be given as early as 12 months as long as it’s at least six months after the previous shot
• between 4 – 6 years
• booster shot at 11 or 12 years of age (called the Tdap)

Hib (Haemophilus influenza Type B) :  It protects against Haemophilus influenza type B . This bacteria can cause pneumonia meningitis and epiglottitis.

Schedule

• 2 months
• 4 months
• 6 months – not needed if the PedvaxHIB or Comvax brand of vaccine was given at 2 and 4 months
• between 12 – 15 months

PCV (Pneumococcal) : It protects against pneumococcal disease. Pneumococcal disease can lead to meningitis, ear infections and pneumonia.

Schedule

• 2 months
• 4 months
• 6 months
• between 12 – 15 months

MMR (measles, mumps, rubella)   : It protects against measles, mumps and rubella ( German measles ).

Schedule

• between 12 – 15 months
• between 4 – 6 years

Varicella (also known as chicken pox)   : It protects against chicken pox.
Schedule

• between 12 – 15 months
• between 4 – 6 years

Inactivated poliovirus  IPV :  It protects against polio

Schedule

• 2 months
• 4 months
• between 6 – 18 months
• between 4 – 6 years

Hepatitis A : It protects against hepatitis A infection

Schedule

• 2 doses given  between 12 months and 24 months. The shots should be six to 18 months apart.

Influenza ( flu) : It protects against  against seasonal flu and H1N1 (swine flu).

Schedule

• age  6 months and up, every year in the fall or early winter

Children 6 months to 8 years old who are getting the flu vaccine for the first time or who had only one dose of the flu vaccine in the previous year’s flu season will get 2 doses. One dose for all other children.

HPV (Human papillomavirus ) : It protects against HPV which is the most commonly sexually transmitted disease in the United States. HPV causes genital warts and cancers of the cervix , anus and throat.

Schedule

• 3 doses for girls and boys at age 11 or 12 years

Meningococcal : It protects against meningococcal disease which was the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in the US before the vaccine

Schedule

• between 11 – 12 years
• a booster shot at 16 years