Fact or Fiction?
Overwhelming the Immune System
FACT: Vaccines do not overwhelm a baby’s immune system.
Some parents think that the number of immunizations on the recommended schedule could overwhelm an infant’s tiny body.
The truth is that your child's immune system is stronger than you may think. Their little bodies can respond to multiple vaccines at once. There is no need to fear that vaccinating on schedule will overwhelm the immune system.
Babies’ immune systems are strong enough to handle vaccines.
At birth, babies are exposed to trillions of bacteria. The vaccines given in the first two years of life are a drop in the ocean of what their immune system responds to daily. Your child is exposed to more antigens in the environment than in all their vaccinations combined. Experts know that a child's immune system is well-equipped to handle antigens from multiple vaccines.
Your child’s immune system is strong enough and prepared to handle daily challenges and to respond to vaccines. However, there is no telling what effect an infectious disease will have on them. Some children may fight off an illness with ease. Others may develop severe complications. Measles, for example, can lead to brain swelling, pneumonia, or death. A young child’s immune system is not always strong enough to fight off diseases like measles or meningitis. This is why we vaccinate at such an early age.
We can protect against more diseases today than ever before.
It’s true that the number of vaccines recommended today is more than the handful of vaccines you may have received as a child. However, the quantity of vaccines we give now increases the quality of protection. More vaccines mean protection against more diseases!
In addition to receiving greater protection from more diseases, vaccines used today contain fewer antigens than those used in past generations. This means that vaccines are better and safer than when you were a child. Vaccine safety has improved over time.
Each vaccine on the CDC’s recommended schedule prevents avoidable sickness, hospitalization, disability, and death.
Getting vaccines on schedule ensures your child is protected.
It’s important to give vaccines at the ages they’re recommended. It’s the best way to protect your child from disease, especially when they are young and more vulnerable to serious infectious diseases. There is no increased risk of side effects by giving multiple vaccines at one time.