Missouri Health

Numerous children each year are affected by an illness that could have been prevented.

In fact, many common childhood illnesses, such as chicken pox, measles, mumps and rubella, could have been prevented through routine inoculations.

“No child should die from a vaccine-preventable disease,” says Mary Anne Jackson, M.D., chief of infectious disease at Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, “but they do.”

Sometimes these common illnesses can be deadly. And with the vaccine, they are often preventable.

Diseases such as meningitis and tetanus  also are preventable through the right vaccinations.

Regular checkups at your pediatrician’s office or at the local health clinic are important to keep your child healthy. All immunizations should be given to children before they reach 2 years of age in order for them to be protected during their most vulnerable stage of life.

Following are immunization recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics and Children’s Mercy.

• The first Hepatitis B vaccine should be given before hospital discharge. The second shot is given at 1-2 months, and the third shot is at 6 months.
• Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccinations should be given at 2 months, 4 months and 6 months, between 15 and 18 months, and at 4-6 years of age.
• Haemophilius influenzae type B vaccinations should be given at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months and 12-15 months of age.
• Measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations should be given between 12- 15 months, followed up with a second shot at 6 years of age.
• Varicella vaccination should be given between 12-15 months and followed up with a second shot at 4-6 years of age.
• Pneumococcal vaccine should be given at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months and 12-15 months of age.
• Hepatitis A should be given at 1 year of age, and the second dose should be given at least six months after the 1st.
• Polio vaccine should be given at 2 months, 4 months, 6-18 months and 4-6 years of age.