Vaccinations for children - pros and cons

Every doctor will agree that prevention is far better than cure. Vaccination is one of the most common ways a person can prevent a disease or illness. However, a lot of parents are becoming concerned because of the number of vaccines their children are supposed to receive nowadays. The debate whether vaccination is safe for children is still pretty much alive. A fair number of parents worry that vaccination may not be safe for his or her child and whether there is need for it in the first place. However, before getting their children vaccinated, parents should get all the information on vaccination they can get. There are pros and cons for almost every vaccine. The decision should be made after learning these things.

Types of vaccination

A lot of people are not aware that there are two types of vaccines live ones and killed or inactivated ones. Live vaccines contain disease causing antigens that are supposed to weaken them so that they cannot cause the disease any more. Killed vaccines contain microbes that have already been treated by chemical means to prevent them from replicating.

Pros and cons of vaccinations for children

A huge number of children get vaccinated every single day. Before a vaccine can be used, it needs to pass very strict screening processes and only when its safety is confirmed it can be used.

Pros of vaccination

Almost all vaccines that are recommended for children are safe and cause no side effects. There are various positive effects that a child will receive after being vaccinated with these vaccines.

One of the best things about vaccines is that it creates immunity to most common childhood illnesses. In most cases, there are no side effects. Vaccines are given in order to prevent diseases because it is always better to prevent than to cure a disease. Giving vaccines does not protect only the children, but also those who are not immunized. Immunization prevents the spreading of diseases. A lot of parents doubt the safety of vaccinations, especially when the child is still pretty young. Doctors believe that the antigens in vaccines cause no harm. Parents should remember that there is a recommended schedule for vaccinations. Cons of vaccination

No vaccination is 100% safe and there are always possible risks. Some of the most common risks are general side effects like pain, redness, headache and swelling of the place where the vaccine was given. Even though seizures and allergic reactions are rare, they are a possibility. In such cases a parent should take the child to the hospital straight away.

In general, most vaccinations are safe for children and bring more good than bad.