Watching your child get a shot isn't easy. It's even harder if you have fears or concerns about the safety of or need for the vaccine.

Millions of parents get their kids vaccinated each year without concern. Yet some parents have heard rumors that vaccines can cause serious health problems.

So how can parents get the facts about vaccine safety? Your child's doctor is your first source of reliable information. Doctors are bound by law to give you written information on the benefits and risks of each vaccine suggested for your child. Reading this material can help you make a well-informed decision.

Reliable information about vaccines for children is available from The American Academy of Pediatrics at www.healthychildren.org and Immunize.org at www.vaccineinformation.org, among others.

Yes, vaccines are safe. All vaccines are fully tested before being approved for use by the FDA. Most vaccines contain a partial, weakened, or dead form of the disease-causing virus or bacteria. These cause the body to make antibodies and other beneficial responses that protect the child from that disease.

Many of these diseases still thrive in other parts of the world. Travelers can and do bring these viruses back to the U.S. Without the protection of vaccines, these diseases could easily spread here again.

A major measles outbreak started in West Texas in January 2025 and spread around the U.S. Children died from this preventable infection. The infection primarily occurred in unvaccinated or undervaccinated children and adults, and in those with weakened immune systems.

Due to undervaccination, the U.S. is also experiencing increased cases of other vaccine-preventable illnesses, such as Whooping Cough (Pertussis) and Polio.

To best protect the population against these serious illnesses, a large percentage (greater than 90% to 95%) of the people in an area need to be immune, either from vaccination or prior infection. Otherwise, one of these highly infectious diseases, once introduced into a population, can spread widely among those who are not protected and others who are at higher risk due to weaker immune systems (such as the elderly, those with cancer or transplanted organs, or those taking immune suppressing medicines).

Some children have minor side effects from getting a vaccine like a slight fever or swelling at the injection site. The risk for death or serious side effects from a vaccine is very small.

Claims that vaccines cause autism or other diseases have been carefully researched and disproved.

Incorrect rumors persist that an increase in autism in children is caused by thimerosal. This is a preservative added to a small number of vaccines. But thimerosal was removed from all vaccines in Sweden in 1995. And the frequency of autism has continued to increase there. Thimerosal has also been nearly removed in the U.S., where autism rates also keep increasing, as they have throughout the world. After a thorough review, in 2004 the Institute of Medicine rejected the idea that vaccines had any relationship with autism.

Many studies have been done to evaluate the safety of multiple vaccines. None has shown that multiple vaccines cause a problem. Children are exposed to many foreign substances every day with no harmful effects. Scientists say that the tiny amount of virus or bacteria in vaccines is not enough to harm a child.

What can be harmful, though, is delaying or avoiding giving children the vaccines they need due to fear or misinformation.

Recommendations were developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to help reduce the risk for SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) and other sleep-related deaths in infants up to 12 months old. AAP says that making sure your child is fully vaccinated can help reduce the risk for SIDS. No evidence has been found linking vaccines as a cause of SIDS.

Most of your child's vaccines are completed between birth and age 6. Many vaccines are given more than once, at different ages, and in combinations. This means that you'll need to keep a careful record of your child's shots. Although your doctor's office will also keep track, people change doctors and records get lost. The person ultimately responsible for keeping track of your child's vaccines is you.

Ask your child's doctor for an immunization record form. Think about your child's record as you would a birth certificate. Keep it with your other essential documents. You can also download an easy-to-read immunization schedule and record form at the CDC website.

Most parents and doctors do a good job of keeping up with vaccines. Yet studies show that about one-fourth of preschool children are missing at least one routine vaccine. Most states will not let your child start school without a complete vaccine record. Sometimes a vaccine is missed when a child is sick. No matter what the reason, it's important to make up missed vaccines.

If your child has missed a vaccine dose, you don't have to go back and start over for most vaccines. The previous vaccines are still good. Your doctor will just resume the vaccine schedule. If, for any reason, your child gets additional doses of a vaccine, this is also not a concern. But your child will still need any future doses according to the recommended schedule.

Keep this information in mind to help your child's vaccines go more smoothly:

• Common side effects of vaccines include swelling at the site of the injection, soreness, and fever. Discuss these side effects with your doctor and ask what symptoms deserve an office call.
• Ask your doctor's office if it participates in an immunization registry. This is a source you can go to if your vaccine records get lost.
• Ask your doctor's office if it has an immunization reminder or recall system. This type of system will call to remind you when vaccines are due. It will also warn you if a vaccine dose has been missed.
• Always bring your immunizations record with you to all of your child's office visits. Make sure the doctor signs and dates every vaccine.
• Your child’s doctor can help you decide the best vaccination schedule for your child based on current recommendations and your child’s risk factors.

Vaccines are some of the safest and most effective medicines we have. They have made many dangerous childhood diseases rare today.