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To help keep your baby healthy, your health-care provider will recommend that your baby receive a series of vaccinations against certain vaccine-preventable diseases. In the United States, children routinely get vaccinated against 15 serious diseases. Below you will find information about these diseases, as well as a chart with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) recommended immunization schedule for 2010.^1,2

^a If Rotatrix® is administered at ages 2 and 4 months, a dose at 6 months is not indicated.²

^b If PRP-OMP (PedvaxHIB® or Comvax® [HepB-Hib]) is administered at ages 2 and 4 months, a dose at 6 months is not indicated.²

^c May be administered in 2 doses (separated by at least 4 weeks) to children younger than 9 years of age who are receiving influenza vaccine for the first time or were vaccinated with 1 dose for the first time last season.²

Vaccine-preventable diseases

Diphtheria:^1-3

• A disease caused by a bacterium called Corynebacterium diphtheriae
• Found in the mouth, throat, and nose
• Can be spread by coughing or sneezing
• Symptoms include sore throat, fever, and chills
• Can lead to heart failure and paralysis
• Vaccines available:
  • - Diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine for infants and children through 6 years of age
  • - Tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine for adolescents and adults

Hepatitis A:¹

• A liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus
• Found mainly in bowel movements
• Can be spread through personal contact, eating contaminated food, or drinking contaminated water
• Symptoms include fever, loss of appetite, tiredness, stomach pain, vomiting, dark urine, and yellow skin or eyes
• Children under 6 years of age often do not show any signs of illness
• Vaccine available: Hepatitis A vaccine

Hepatitis B:¹

• A liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus
• Can be spread through contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person
• Pregnant women who have chronic Hepatitis B can infect their newborn babies
• Symptoms include loss of appetite, tiredness, muscle or stomach pains, diarrhea, vomiting, and yellow skin or eyes (jaundice)
• Some people don't get any symptoms at all
• Some people develop chronic infection that may lead to scarring of the liver or liver cancer
• Vaccine available: Hepatitis B vaccine

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) disease:¹

• A disease caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b bacteria
• Can be spread through the air by coughing, sneezing, and even breathing
• The bacteria can spread to the lungs or bloodstream, causing meningitis (infection of the covering of the brain), pneumonia, epiglottitis (inflammation in the throat), arthritis, or other problems
• Vaccine available: Hib vaccine

Human papillomavirus (HPV):^1,4

• A sexually transmitted disease caused by the human papillomavirus
• Spreads through sexual contact
• Most HPV infections go away on their own without symptoms
• May cause cervical cancer in women
• Associated with several less common types of cancer in men and women
• May cause genital warts and warts in the upper respiratory tract
• Vaccine available: HPV vaccine

Influenza (flu):¹

• A seasonal illness caused by the influenza virus
• Spread from person to person through sneezing, coughing, or breathing
• Symptoms include fever, sore throat, cough, headache, chills, and muscle aches
• Young children may also have vomiting and diarrhea
• May cause ear and sinus infections, pneumonia, myocarditis (inflammation of the heart), and death
• The virus is always changing, so the immunity you had one year may not protect you in the future
• Vaccine available: Influenza vaccine

Measles:¹

• A viral illness that causes a rash all over the body
• Can be spread by breathing, coughing, or sneezing
• Other symptoms include fever, runny nose, and cough
• May cause ear infections, pneumonia, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), or death
• May cause miscarriages or premature birth in pregnant women
• Very contagious - any child who is exposed to it and has not been vaccinated will probably get the disease
• Vaccine available: Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine

Meningococcal disease:^1,5

• A leading cause of bacterial meningitis in children 2 to 18 years of age
• Meningitis is an infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord
• May also cause blood infections
• Most common in infants and people with certain medical conditions
• College freshmen who live in dormitories and teenagers 15 to 19 years of age are also at increased risk
• Vaccines available:
  • - Meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV)
  • - Meningococcal vaccine (MV)

Mumps:¹

• A disease that is best known for the swelling of the cheeks and jaw that results from inflammation of the salivary glands
• Causes a fever and headache
• Often a mild disease
• Severe cases may lead to meningitis, encephalitis, deafness, or death
• Vaccine available: MMR vaccine

Pertussis (whooping cough):¹

• Caused by a bacterium called Bordetella pertussis
• Commonly called whooping cough because the cough is violent and rapid, forcing the air to leave the person's lungs. Inhalation sounds like a loud "whoop."
• Very contagious, it is one of the most common vaccine-preventable childhood diseases in the United States
• Can be spread from person to person through personal contact, coughing, and sneezing
• Resembles a common cold at first, with sneezing, runny nose, fever, and a mild cough
• After 1 or 2 weeks, severe coughing spells begin
• May lead to pneumonia, convulsions, brain damage, and death
• Vaccines available:
  • - DTaP vaccine
  • - Tdap vaccine

Pneumococcal disease:¹

• Caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria
• Children can develop a severe disease that can lead to meningitis and blood infections
• Can be spread through the air by anyone who is infected, even if they don't have symptoms
• Most common during the winter and early spring
• Vaccines available:
• - Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV)
• - Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV)

Polio:¹

• Thousands died and were paralyzed during a major epidemic in 1916
• A vaccine was introduced in the 1950s and the disease began to disappear in the United States
• Caused by a virus that lives in the throat and intestinal tract
• Spread mainly through contact with the feces of an infected person
• Some children do not feel ill at all, and others have common cold-like symptoms, sometimes accompanied by pain and stiffness
• Serious forms of the disease cause severe muscle pain and paralysis within a week (loss of muscle use)
• There is no treatment for polio
• Vaccine available: Inactivated poliovirus (IPV) vaccine

Rotavirus:¹

• Most common cause of severe gastroenteritis (diarrhea and vomiting) among young children
• May cause a fever of 102 degrees F or higher, severe dehydration, or death
• The virus is shed in the stool
• Can be spread by direct contact with an infected person, or by contact with contaminated objects such as toys or food
• Often spread within families, hospitals, and child-care facilities
• Vaccine available: Rotavirus vaccine (oral)

Rubella:¹

• Sometimes called "German measles" or "3-day measles"
• Generally a mild disease caused by the rubella virus
• Usually occurs in the winter and spring
• Causes a slight fever, along with a rash on the face and neck, swollen glands in the back of the neck, and arthritis-like symptoms in the joints in teens and adults
• Spread from person to person through the air by coughing, sneezing, or breathing
• If a pregnant woman is infected during the early months of pregnancy, the disease can cause deafness, blindness, damage to the heart or brain, or mental retardation in her baby
• Miscarriages are common among pregnant women who get rubella
• Vaccine available: MMR vaccine

Tetanus (lockjaw):¹

• Caused by Clostridium tetani bacteria usually found in soil, dust, and manure
• Enters the body through breaks in the skin
• Children usually become infected through deep cuts, severe burns, ear infections, tooth infections, or animal bites
• Can take up to 3 weeks for the first symptoms to appear
• Symptoms include headache, crankiness, and spasms of the jaw muscles
• May cause painful muscle spasms in the neck, arms, legs, and stomach
• The spasms may be strong enough to break a child's bones
• Vaccine available:
  • - DTaP vaccine
  • - Tdap vaccine
  • - Td vaccine

Varicella (chickenpox):¹

• Until recently, one of the most common childhood diseases
• Causes an itchy rash, fever, and drowsiness
• Can cause encephalitis if blisters become infected
• Can be spread by coughing, sneezing, breathing, or contact with fluid from the blisters
• Symptoms usually occur 2 to 3 weeks after exposure
• The infected child is contagious for 1 to 2 days before the rash appears and 4 to 5 days after blisters disappear
• Is usually mild, but can become serious in infants and adults
• The virus that causes the disease stays in the body and may cause shingles later in life
• Vaccine available: Varicella vaccine

References 1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Parent's Guide to Childhood Immunizations. Atlanta, GA: CDC; 2007:1-68. 2. CDC. Recommended immunization schedules for persons aged 0 through 18 years - United States, 2010. MMWR. 2010;58(51&52):1-4. 3. CDC. Recommended adult immunization schedule - United States, 2010. MMWR. 2010;59(1):1-4. 4. CDC. HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine: what you need to know. Vaccine information statement, 3/30/2010. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-hpv-gardasil.pdf. Accessed May 12, 2010. 5. CDC. Meningococcal vaccines: what you need to know. Vaccine information statement, 1/28/2008. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-mening.pdf. Accessed May 12, 2010.

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