Vaccine Information

Your eMedyx ID Card carries your vaccination record, and is easily accessible by approved medical personnel.

How Do Vaccines Protect Children from Diseases?

Each child is born with a full immune system composed of cells, glands, organs, and fluids that are located throughout his or her body to fight invading bacteria and viruses. The immune system recognizes germs that enter the body as "foreign" invaders, or antigens, and produces protein substances called antibodies to fight them. A normal, healthy immune system has the ability to produce millions of these antibodies to defend against thousands of attacks every day, doing it so naturally that people are not even aware they are being attacked and defended so often (Whitney, 1990). Many antibodies disappear once they have destroyed the invading antigens, but the cells involved in antibody production remain and become "memory cells." Memory cells remember the original antigen and then defend against it when the antigen attempts to re-infect a person, even after many decades. This protection is called immunity.

Vaccines contain the same antigens or parts of antigens that cause diseases, but the antigens in vaccines are either killed or greatly weakened. When they are injected into fatty tissue or muscle, vaccine antigens are not strong enough to produce the symptoms and signs of the disease but are strong enough for the immune system to produce antibodies against them (Tortora and Anagnostakos, 1981). The memory cells that remain prevent re-infection when they encounter that disease in the future. Thus, through vaccination, children develop immunity without suffering from the actual diseases that vaccines prevent.

Vaccines Are Safe

Vaccines are held to the highest standard of safety. The United States currently has the safest, most effective vaccine supply in history. Years of testing are required by law before a vaccine can be licensed. Once in use, vaccines are continually monitored for safety and efficacy.

Be Aware of the Risks

Immunizations, like any medication, can cause side effects. However, a decision not to immunize a child also involves risk. It is a decision to put the child and others who come into contact with him or her at risk of contracting a disease that could be dangerous or deadly. Consider measles. One out of 30 children with measles develops pneumonia. For every 1,000 children who get the disease, one or two will die from it. Thanks to vaccines, we have few cases of measles in the U.S. today. However, the disease is extremely contagious, and each year dozens of cases are imported from abroad into the U.S., threatening the health of people who have not been vaccinated and those for whom the vaccine was not effective.

Are vaccines tested and monitored for safety?

Yes. Before vaccines are licensed, the FDA requires testing to ensure safety. This process can take 10 years or longer. Once a vaccine is in use, the CDC and FDA monitor its side effects through the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Any hint of a problem with a vaccine prompts further investigations by the CDC and FDA. If researchers find a vaccine may be causing a side effect, the CDC and FDA will initiate actions appropriate to the nature of the problem. This may include the changing of vaccine labels or packaging, distributing safety alerts, inspecting manufacturers' facilities and records, withdrawing recommendations for the use of the vaccine, or revoking the vaccine's license.

Who should not be vaccinated?

Some people should not get certain vaccines or should wait to get them. For instance, children with compromised immune systems, as occurs with cancer patients, often need to wait to be vaccinated. Similarly, if a person has had a severe allergic reaction to a vaccine, a subsequent dose is not reccommended. However, a person with a mild, common illness, such as a cold with a low-grade fever, does not have to wait to be vaccinated. Ask your health care provider for more information.

What should be done if someone has a reaction to a vaccine?

Call a doctor. If the reaction is severe, take the person to a doctor immediately.
After any reaction, tell your doctor what happened, when it happened, and when the vaccination was given.
Ask your doctor, nurse, or health department to file a VAERS form, or call VAERS yourself at 1-800-822-7967.

Each person is unique and may react differently to immunization.

Occasionally, people who receive a vaccine do not respond to it and may still get the illness the vaccine was meant to protect them against.
In most cases, vaccines are effective and cause no side effects, or only mild reactions such as fever or soreness at the injection site.
Very rarely, people experience more serious side effects, like allergic reactions. Be sure to tell your health care provider if you have health problems or known allergies to medications or food.
Severe reactions to vaccines occur so rarely that the risk is difficult to calculate.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continually work to make already safe vaccines even safer. In the rare event that a child is injured by a vaccine, he or she may be compensated through the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) or call 1-800-338-2382.

CDC Childcare and School Immunization Requirements for 2005-2006 (Exit Site) "reflects state laws, regulations, or rule making that impose vaccination requirements for enrollment and/or attendance in day care, Head Start, kindergarten, grades 1 through 12, colleges, and universities." (39 pages - .pdf file).

State Mandates on Immunization and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (Exit Site)
Organized by disease, this resource page features a comprehensive list of immunizations required by state for child care and school entry (from the Immunization Action Coalition).

State Immunization Requirements for School Entry (Exit Site)
Download this chart from the Sabin Vaccine Institue to find out each state's immunization requirements for school entry.

Individual State Immunziation Requirements for School Entry (Exit Site)
Currently, all 50 states have school immunization laws—although there are differences in what may be required in different states. Search for state immunization requirements for school entry by state (from the National Network of Immunization Information).

Exemptions from Immunization Laws (Exit Site)
As of May 2004, all 50 states allow vaccination exemptions for medical reasons; 48 states allow exemptions for religious reasons; and 20 states allow exemptions for philosophical reasons.

Common Questions About School Immunization Laws (Exit Site)
Why does the government require that certain vaccines be given to children? Are there legal consequences for parents if they choose not to vaccinate their children? (from the National Network on Immunization Information)

Source - CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/