HHS HealthBeat (April 19, 2012)

Fully vaccinated

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

To help keep kids healthy, parents can keep their children up to date on vaccinations. Being fully vaccinated can help kids prevent a lot of illnesses.  At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Yabo Beysolow offers some reasons:

“One is that you’re protecting your infant and child early on in life, when they’re most vulnerable to diseases. Another reason is that when you delay getting your child vaccinated, you’re leaving your child vulnerable during that period.” (13 seconds)

Dr. Beysolow says that, just for kids under 6 years, vaccination can protect against 14 diseases. And you can add a couple more during the teenage years.  The diseases include whooping cough, measles, diphtheria, and tetanus, as well as the flu. It’s a good idea to check with your kid’s doctor about the vaccination schedule.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: April 19, 2012