Why do vaccines start so early?

Babies are susceptible to disease and only benefit slightly from the mother’s immune system, and then only until age 6 months (4). To promote the health of the individual it starts in infancy vaccination is critical for this process to occur.

Plain and simple, vaccination safes lives. The benefit to vaccine utilization is clear. The death rate of individuals infected with measles has dwindled significantly. Estimated to have killed 1.2 Million people in 1985, the death rate dropped to 200,000 death worldwide in 2017. Childhood vaccination has played a key role (2). This can be further seen in the graph below which depicts deaths associated with measles vaccination vs. those who remain unvaccinated (3).

 (2)

The need to vaccinate although momentarily uncomfortable at the time, provides a lifetime of benefits. Vaccination is safe, provides the necessary net of safety for you and your family, and ends up saving you money in the long run. (1)

¹Five Important Reasons to Vaccinate Your Child. (n.d.). Retrieved May 6, 2020, from https://www.vaccines.gov/getting/for_parents/five_reasons 

²Jay L. Hoecker, M. D. (2019, August 14). Vaccination schedule: Why so many so fast? Retrieved May 6, 2020, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/infant-and-toddler-health/expert-answers/vaccination-schedule/faq-20058197 

³Measles. (2018, February 5). Retrieved May 6, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/measles/about/history.html

⁴Redfield, R. R. (2018, November 30). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention MMWR. Retrieved May 6, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/pdfs/mm6747-H.pdf