•  Childhood Immunization Schedule •  Immunizations FAQ

Protects against these three diseases:

Diphtheria, caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae

The bacterium that causes this disease is spread by coughing, sneezing, and touch. It causes sore throats, fever and sometimes heart failure or paralysis. Before the vaccine was developed in the 1930s, diphtheria was one of the most common causes of death among children. According to the Centers for Disease Control, diphtheria would kill up to 10 to 20 percent of those infected if people in the US stopped getting immunized. Outbreaks are still occurring overseas where the death rate is much higher.

Tetanus, caused by Clostridium tetani

A bacterium lurking in soil causes this disease, most commonly by entering the bloodstream through a wound. It attacks nerves that control muscles, causing spasms and difficulty in opening the mouth (hence the common name, "lockjaw"), and causes death by asphyxiation (choking) in two out of 10 people infected with it.

Pertussis, caused by Bordetella pertussis

This disease is known as whooping cough because of the violent coughing it causes. The cough is also what spreads the bacterium. Symptoms last for up to 10 weeks and can result in pneumonia, seizures, brain damage, and death. One in 200 infected with it die. Before the vaccine was developed in the 1950s, pertussis killed more US children than all other infectious diseases combined. This disease still continues to pose a real threat in the United States. Adults whose immunity has waned can infect people who have either not been immunized or haven't completed the full series of shots. Researchers have developed an "acellular" form of this vaccine (DTaP), which is in widespread use and is associated with far fewer side effects than the older DPT vaccine.

Protects against: Hepatitis A, caused by the hepatitis A virus

Hepatitis A spreads when virus from an infected person's feces somehow gets into food or water. About 14 to 40 percent of cases in the US occur in children at daycare centers because of contact with diapers. It infects the liver, and symptoms include fatigue, nausea, lack of appetite, fever, and aching. When the liver gets inflamed, the bile turns the skin and whites of the eyes yellow. It's generally not severe, and unlike hepatitis B, it isn't a chronic condition.

Protects against: Hepatitis B, caused by the hepatitis B virus

Like the AIDS virus, the virus for hepatitis B spreads through bodily fluids. It infects the liver, causing nausea, jaundice, pain, chronic fatigue, liver cancer, and sometimes even death. About 90 percent of those infected will have an acute form of the disease, which tends to last 2 to 3 months, and the rest will become chronic carriers.

Protects against: H. influenzae type b infections, caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b

Despite its name, this bacterium doesn't cause the flu, but it does cause invasive, life-threatening disease: blood infection, epiglottitis (an infection in the airways that can obstruct breathing), and meningitis (inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord). This can lead to brain damage and death. Before the introduction of the vaccine in 1987, it was the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in the US, killing more than 600 children per year.

Protects against: Human papillomavirus, caused by human papillomavirus

There are more than a hundred different types of HPV and 40 of these can be transmitted sexually. At least 50 percent of sexually active men and women get the disease. Most of the time, an infected person will notice no symptoms and the virus will clear up on its own. For others, it can lead to life-threatening or chronic disease. HPV is responsible for up to 70 percent of cervical cancers and 90 percent of genital warts. In 2006, the US Food and Drug Administration approved its first HPV vaccine. In February 2007, the CDC added it to its immunization schedule and recommended it for all females aged 11 to 12-years-old (though girls as young as 9 can get it). For girls and women aged 13 to 26-years-old who haven’t been immunized, the CDC recommends a catch-up vaccination.

Protects against these three diseases:

Measles (rubeola), caused by the measles virus

Spread by sneezing, the measles virus causes cold-like symptoms, then fever, inflamed eyes, and a red rash. In rare cases it can lead to pneumonia and encephalitis (brain inflammation), which can result in death. In 2006 there were 242,000 deaths worldwide; outbreaks still occur in the United States.

Mumps, caused by the mumps virus

An airborne virus causes swelling of the salivary glands on either side of the mouth. Rarely life-threatening, mumps can be painful, especially in teenage and adult males who may experience an inflammation of the testes.

Rubella, caused by rubivirus

Also known as German measles, this virus is spread through the air. It causes a rash, enlarged lymph nodes, and sometimes a slight fever. Most victims experience only mild symptoms, but up to 90 percent of women who get infected in the first trimester of pregnancy will have a baby affected with congenital rubella syndrome (heart defects, mental retardation, and cataracts).

Protects against: Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), a group of bacteria that causes pneumonia, meningitis, sinusitis, ear infections, and bacteremia (blood infection).

Pneumococcus strains cause 17,000 cases of invasive infections among children under 5 each year, resulting in 200 deaths. Despite their name, the bacteria only cause pneumonia in about 12 to 16 percent of infections. Pneumococcus is now becoming a leading cause of meningitis. Symptoms vary but often include a fever and chills.

Protects against: Poliomyletis, caused by poliovirus

Commonly known as polio, the disease spreads mostly through exposure to feces. Most infected children suffer only a mild illness, but sometimes the disease causes acute paralysis that can lead to permanent disability and even death.

Since the oral polio vaccine (OPV) was found to cause polio in a very small percentage of people (about one in 2.4 million), it's no longer used routinely in the United States. The "killed" virus in the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) is slightly less powerful than the oral vaccine: It can't cause the disease but it also doesn't provide immunity in the intestinal tract. Experts feel comfortable recommending IPV because polio has been eradicated from the United States and is less common abroad than it used to be. The oral vaccine will be recommended in only cases of polio outbreaks, within four weeks of travel to an area where polio is prevalent, and in cases where the parent prefers it. If someone in the household or a caretaker has AIDS or cancer, or is taking medication that suppresses the immune system, only the IPV should be used.

Protects against: Rotavirus, caused by rotaviruses

By age 3, a majority of children not immunized against this virus have been infected with it. The most common symptom is diarrhea, which sometimes results in dehydration so severe that the child must be hospitalized. Where modern hospitals are not available, many children die. A vaccine was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1998 but suspended in July 1999 due to possible risks of a serious intestinal disorder. However in February 2006, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended a newly designed rotavirus vaccine for infants after reviewing results from a study involving 70,000 children. The new vaccine shows no risks associated with the previous one and the CDC adopted it into its immunization schedule in February 2007.

Protects against: Varicella, caused by varicella zoster virus

Commonly called chicken pox, this disease is spread by an airborne virus. It causes fever and a rash of small, red, itchy blisters. Children usually experience only a fever, although severe cases can result in liver, kidney, and brain problems. Adults occasionally suffer life-threatening pneumonia. By age 10, a majority of children have had chicken pox, though the vaccine, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1995, has decreased the number of cases by as much as 90 percent.

Further Resources

Robert H. Pantell M.D., James F. Fries M.D., Donald M. Vickery M.D., Taking Care of Your Child: A Parent's Illustrated Guide to Complete Medical Care. Perseus Books Publishing, L.L.C.: 1999.

References

First published August 20, 1999
Last updated March 13, 2008
Copyright © 2001 Consumer Health Interactive

Find more on:

Back to top of page