What if you don't immunize your child?

While most state laws provide for religious or personal exemptions to required immunizations, concerned parents should still consider the consequences of not immunizing their children.

Without immunizations, your child is at greater risk of catching one of the vaccine-preventable diseases.

Vaccines were developed to protect individuals from dangerous and sometimes deadly diseases. Vaccines are safe and effective, and such diseases are still a threat.

Without immunizations, your child can infect others.

Children who are not immunized can transmit vaccine-preventable diseases throughout the community.

• Unvaccinated people can pass diseases on to babies who are too young to be fully immunized.
• Unvaccinated people pose a threat to children and adults who can't be immunized for medical reasons. This includes people with leukemia and other cancers, HIV/AIDS and other immune system problems, and persons receiving chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or large doses of corticosteroids.
• Unvaccinated people can infect the small percentage of children whose immunizations did not "take."

Without immunizations, your child may have to be excluded at times from school or child care.

During disease outbreaks, un-immunized children may be excluded from school or child care until the outbreak is over, both for their own protection and for the protection of others. This causes hardship for the child and parent.

What to do...

As a parent, you must make a choice, and while we strongly encourage you to immunize your child, ultimately the decision is yours. We hope you discuss your concerns with a trusted health care provider or call the immunization coordinator at your local or state health department. Your final decision affects not only the health of your child, but the health of your child's friends and their families, classmates, neighbors, faith community members, and family members.

For more information about vaccines, go to:

• Immunization Action Coalition: www.vaccineinformation.org and www.immunize.org
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov/nip
• American Academy of Pediatrics: www.cispimmunize.org
• National Network for Immunization Information: www.immunizationinfo.org
• National Vaccine Program Office: www.cdc.gov/od/nvpo
• Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hosp. of Philadelphia: www.vaccine.chop.edu
• CDC's National Immunization Information Hotline: English (800) 232-2522; Spanish (800) 232-0233

Immunization Update:

Varicella and Hepatitis A have been added to kindergarten requirements: effective 2002-2003 school year.

Make sure your kindergartner is up to date!

Talk with your health care provider for more information on immunizations required for school entry.

Back to Immunizations