What to Know About Childhood Immunizations in the U.S.

Because of current events, we’ve been talking a lot about vaccinations in the U.S. so read on to learn What to Know About Childhood Immunizations in the U.S.

There are COVID-19 vaccination requirements to do certain things in the United States, like work in particular professions, or even enter the country or apply to immigrate.

For example, applicants applying for permanent residence are now required to get the COVID-19 vaccination as part of the required medical exam.

There are many other immunizations outside of this one that parents should know about as well.

Because of the discussions surrounding this particular vaccine, parents might be wondering what the typical requirements are for children in the U.S. and how vaccines are given.

Below, we cover some of the key things every parent should know about childhood immunizations.

The Basics of Childhood Vaccinations

Babies are born with protection from some diseases because of antibodies passed onto them from their mothers. Antibodies are proteins your body makes to fight disease.

Breastfed babies can get more of those antibodies through their mother’s milk. The protection from antibodies that are passed on before birth and through breastfeeding is only temporary.

That’s where vaccines come in. Immunization is another word for vaccination. Immunization helps create immunity or protection from certain diseases.

This can be done using small amounts of a weakened or dead germ that causes the disease.

The vaccine can also be a small piece of the germ, including a piece of its genetic material or a protein. Germs can be a virus or bacteria.

Vaccines stimulate the immune system, so it reacts like there was a real infection.

It can fight off the infection, and then the immune system remembers the germ so it can combat it if it enters the body later in the child’s life.

Types of Vaccines

There are different types of vaccines that include the following:

• Attenuated or weakened vaccines use live germs. These include the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccines as well as the chickenpox vaccine.
• Killed or inactivated germs are used in some vaccines, including the inactivated polio vaccination and the flu shot.
• Toxoid vaccines have an inactivated toxin the germ makes. Examples of toxoid vaccines include diphtheria and tetanus.
• A conjugate vaccine has small pieces of germ and a combination of proteins to trigger a powerful immune response. Whooping cough, hepatitis B, HPV, and meningitis vaccines are made this way.
• mRNA vaccines use part of the germ’s genetic material, which is RNA. Some of the COVID-19 vaccines are mRNA.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendation is that kids get combined vaccines instead of single vaccines when possible.

There are several vaccines that are offered as a combination to lower how many shots overall a child gets, which is shown to be a safe approach.

Typical Immunization Schedule

The recommended vaccine schedule might vary depending on your child’s health, where you live, the available vaccines, and the type of vaccines, but generally, a schedule might look like the following:

• At birth, the HepB vaccine is given. Typically, the first dose is given within 24 hours of birth, but a child can get it at any age if they aren’t previously immunized. A low-birth-weight infant born early may get it at one month, or maybe after hospital discharge.
• From 1-2 months is when the second dose of the HepB vaccine should be given.
• At two months, a baby will receive DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis vaccine), Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type B) vaccine, IPV (inactivated poliovirus vaccine), PCV (pneumococcal conjugate vaccine), RV (rotavirus vaccine)
• At six months baby receive DTaP, Hib, PCV, and RV
• At 6-18 months, HepB and IPV are given
• From 12-15 months Hib, MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella), PCV, varicella (chickenpox)
• From 12-23 months. HepA (hepatitis A) is given as two shots at least six months apart
• When a child reaches 15-18 months, DTaP is given
• From 4-6 years, DTaP, MMR, IPV, and varicella are given
• At 11-12 years old, the HPV vaccine may be given. HPV stands for human papillomavirus vaccine, which is given in two shots over a period of six months to a year. It can be given as early as 9. For teens and young adults, which means between the ages of 15-26, it can be given in three shots over six months.
• Also, at 11-12, children are given Tdap, and the MenACWY, which is the meningococcal vaccine, protecting against meningococcal bacterium types A, C, W, and Y.
• At 16-18 years, the MenB (meningococcal vaccine) is given, which protects against meningococcal bacterium type B.

The following are special circumstances that may impact the vaccination schedule:

• If a baby is going to travel somewhere where hepatitis A is common, the vaccine can be given as early as six months.
• Babies as young as six months can take the MMR vaccine if they’re traveling internationally.
• The flu vaccine is especially important to high-risk groups such as kids younger than five and children with chronic medical conditions.
• The pneumococcal vaccines can be given to older kids if they have something that affects their immune system, like asplenia.
• The meningococcal vaccines can be given to children as young as eight weeks old who could be at risk for an infection, such as children with immune disorders.

Altering the Immunization Schedule

Some parents opt to alter the immunization schedule for their children.

There are situations where parents will only let their children get the vaccines they think are appropriate.

There are considerations that parents should remember if they’re thinking about this.

For example, you should understand the importance of timing.

Parents tend to worry that too many vaccines are given at a single visit, but the vaccine schedules are based on when infants are most likely to be vulnerable to the disease.

During the initial months of their life, a baby has some level of protection because of antibodies.

That protection wanes during the first year of life, though, which makes the vaccine schedule relevant.

Finally, since vaccines do often require more than one dose, limiting the number given in a single appointment and making sure your child still gets them all can be time-consuming and complex.

You may have to schedule monthly visits at the doctor’s office to follow this approach and maintain a healthy diet this winter.

We hope this article has helped you learn What to Know About Childhood Immunizations in the U.S.