Yes. Vaccines are very safe. The United States’ long-standing vaccine safety system ensures that vaccines are as safe as possible.

Currently, the United States has the safest, most effective vaccine supply in its history. Millions of children are safely vaccinated each year.

The most common side effects are typically very mild, such as pain or swelling at the injection site.

Vaccines, like any medication, may cause some side effects. Most of these side effects are very minor, like soreness where the shot was given, fussiness, or a low-grade fever.

These side effects typically only last a couple of days and are treatable. For example, you can apply a clean, cool, wet washcloth on the sore area to ease discomfort.

Serious reactions are very rare. However, if your child experiences any reactions that concern you, call the doctor’s office.

Vaccines can prevent infectious diseases that once killed or harmed many infants, children, and adults. Without vaccines, your child is at risk for getting seriously ill and suffering pain, disability, and even death from diseases like measles and whooping cough.

The main risks associated with getting vaccines are side effects, which are almost always mild (redness and swelling at the injection site) and go away within a few days.

Serious side effects following vaccination, such as severe allergic reaction, are very rare and doctors and clinic staff are trained to deal with them. The disease-prevention benefits of getting vaccines are much greater than the possible side effects for almost all children.

Vaccines do not overload the immune system. Every day, a healthy baby’s immune system successfully fights off millions of germs. Antigens are parts of germs that cause the body’s immune system to go to work.

The antigens in vaccines come from the germs themselves, but the germs are weakened or killed so they cannot cause serious illness. Even if they receive several vaccinations in one day, vaccines contain only a tiny fraction of the antigens that babies encounter every day in their environment.

Vaccines provide your child with the antibodies they need to fight off the serious illnesses for which they have been vaccinated.

Getting every recommended dose of each vaccine provides your child with the best protection possible.

Depending on the vaccine, more than one dose is needed to build high enough immunity to prevent disease, boost immunity that fades over time, make sure people who did not get immunity from a first dose are protected, or protect against germs that change over time, like flu.

Every dose of a vaccine is important because they all protect against infectious diseases that are threats today and can be especially serious for infants and very young children.

Children do not receive any known benefits from following schedules that delay vaccines.

Infants and young children who follow immunization schedules that spread out shots-or leave out shots-are at risk of developing diseases during the time that shots are delayed.

Some vaccine-preventable diseases remain common in the United States, and children may be exposed to these diseases during the time they are not protected by vaccines, placing them at risk for a serious case of the disease that might cause hospitalization or death.

Some vaccine-preventable diseases, like pertussis (whooping cough) and chickenpox, remain common in the United States.

On the other hand, other diseases prevented by vaccines are no longer common in this country because of vaccines. However, if we stopped vaccinating, even the few cases we have in the United States could very quickly become tens or hundreds of thousands of cases.

Even though many serious vaccine-preventable diseases are uncommon in the United States, some are common in other parts of the world. Even if your family does not travel internationally, you could come into contact with international travelers anywhere in your community.

Kids that are not fully vaccinated and are exposed to a disease can become seriously sick and spread it through a community.

Combination vaccines protect your child against more than one disease with a single shot. They reduce the number of shots and office visits your child would need, which not only saves you time and money, but also is easier on your child.

Some common combination vaccines that are currently used are: DTaP (diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis) and MMR (measles-mumps-rubella).

Before entering school, young children can be exposed to vaccine-preventable diseases from parents and other adults, brothers and sisters, on a plane, at child care, or even at the grocery store.

Children under age 5 are especially susceptible to diseases because their immune systems have not built up the necessary defenses to fight infection. Don’t wait to protect your baby and risk getting these diseases when he or she needs protection now.

Your child needs a chickenpox vaccine because chickenpox can actually be a serious disease. In many cases, children experience a mild case of chickenpox, but other kids may have blisters that become infected. Others may develop pneumonia. There is no way to tell in advance the severity of the symptoms your child will experience.

Before vaccine was available, about 50 kids died every year from chickenpox, and about 1 in 500 kids who got chickenpox was hospitalized.