Immunize to Keep Your Kids Safe and Healthy

It’s hard to keep your children safe every minute of the day. Still, there’s one thing you can do that helps protect them 24/7. Make sure they get all the recommended childhood vaccines.

What Shots Do Kids Need?

From birth, babies and young children need certain shots to help them stay healthy as they grow. Older children — even busy preteens and teens — need vaccines from time-to-time. Your child's doctor will remind you about them during an annual well-child visit.  

Why Are Vaccines So Important?

When your children don’t get their needed shots, they have a greater risk for many diseases. They can also spread these diseases to their friends and family.

Vaccines are a reliable way to prevent many diseases that were once deadly. They expose the body to a very small amount of weak or dead germs and viruses. The immune system then builds up the ability to fight these bugs in the future.

Vaccines have slowed or stopped the spread of polio, measles, mumps and other diseases in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has put together a quick-reference chart.  It lets you know what shots your child needs and when.  

The safety of vaccines has at times been questioned. Some parents worry and refuse shots for their children. A common fear is an alleged link between autism and vaccines. Research has found no such link. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  reports that vaccines do not cause autism.

Measles Makes a Comeback

One rare disease made a comeback due to a small number of parents who decided not to get their children vaccinated. It started when several children who visited an amusement park in 2014 came down with measles. That hadn’t happened in the U.S. in 15 years. Another outbreak related to air travel happened in 2019. And the trend has continued for the last several years. Each year has seen numerous outbreaks adding up to over 2,100 cases in 2025 and again in 2026. It’s estimated that 93% of the people who have gotten infected, particularly children, have not been vaccinated.

While we are lucky that some diseases no longer exist in the U.S., they are often only a plane ride away. Polio is one example. It still affects some children in certain Middle-Eastern,  African and Pacific Island countries. People who are infected with it can spread the disease for weeks — before and after symptoms appear.

These examples highlight why the CDC says, “we could soon find ourselves battling epidemics of diseases we thought we had conquered decades ago.”

Keeping Everyone Healthy

When kids and adults get the recommended vaccines, they help protect whole communities. Along with preventing the spread of disease to friends and family, they help safeguard others, too. Very young babies, pregnant women, cancer patients, people with HIV and other conditions can all have vulnerable immune systems.

If you have concerns or questions about vaccines, talk to your doctor or your child’s doctor. That way, you can make the best decision for the health of your family and your community.

Sources: AAP Schedule of Well-Child Care Visits,  American Academy of Pediatrics, 2026; Recommended Vaccines for Young Children,  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2025; Common Vaccine Safety Questions and Concerns,  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024; Measles Cases and Outbreaks,  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2026; Global Polio Eradication Initiative,  Polio Eradication.org, 2026