For parents of babies and toddlers, attending scheduled vaccinations can be an upsetting and unnerving experience. Seeing an infant or toddler receiving a routine jab can be distressing to new mothers and fathers and many parents also worry about the possibility of adverse side effects from vaccines.
Are Babies "Over Immunised"?
With a comprehensive childhood immunisation programme in place in many countries as well as the recent emergency vaccination programmes against the H1N1, or "swine flu", virus, many parents have expressed concern over the possibility of “over-immunising” their children and placing a strain on their immune system.
Parents Should Follow Vaccination Programme
However, the advice from medical professionals remains the same, children who are eligible for vaccinations should receive all of their jabs in order to protect them from illness. In the UK the National Health Service (NHS) advises parents that: “The only time to stop immunising children is when a disease has been eradicated worldwide.” And research confirms that early vaccination continues to offer the best protection against diseases that, if caught by young children, can prove fatal.
Does Vaccination Weaken Immune System?
In an effort to assuage parent’s fears, paediatricians and immumologists in the US have carried out research into the effects of the ever increasing immunisation programme that infants and toddlers are routinely subjected to and concluded that it did not result in any long term weakening of the immune system.
The results, co-authored by Professor Edgar Marcuse, were published in the journal Pediatrics under the title "Addressing Parents’ Concerns: Do Multiple Vaccines Overwhelm or Weaken the Infant’s Immune System?"
The authors looked at data on adverse reactions to vaccines, efficacy of vaccines in either single dose or combined forms and immune system response after vaccination and concluded that: “Current studies do not support the hypothesis that multiple vaccines overwhelm, weaken, or "use up" the immune system. By providing protection against a number of bacterial and viral pathogens, vaccines prevent the 'weakening' of the immune system and consequent secondary bacterial infections occasionally caused by natural infection.”
Spacing Out Vaccinations is Counter Productive
The results should go some way to reassuring parents who are concerned about frequent trips to the clinic for infant vaccinations, and Professor Marcuse said he hopes the research will encourage parents to follow the immunisation routine recommended by healthcare practitioners and not attempt to “space out” vaccinations in order to provide children’s immune system with a recovery period he believes is unnecessary and possibly counter-productive.
“When you space out the vaccines, you leave your infant susceptible to diseases you could otherwise have prevented, particularly in the first six to eight months of life," he says. Babies can get diseases such as whooping cough or meningitis, and these can be tough on them,” he said.
Vaccination “Best Chance” for Children
And healthcare providers across the world remain in agreement that following the schedule of vaccination as prescribed by a child’s doctor offers the best protection possible against childhood diseases, as the UK National Health Service tells parents: “It gives children the best chance of developing immunity against these diseases in a safe and effective way and minimises their risk of catching the diseases.”
Note: This article is intended for information only. Any parent with concerns about their child’s immunisation programmed should discuss them with their healthcare provider.
Jenni Potter - Jenni Potter is a qualified senior journalist and newsroom veteran with 10 years experience on titles across the UK. Jenni is also a ...
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