Immunizations
Pediatrics located in Valparaiso, IN
Immunizations are one of the most effective defenses you can give your baby or child against communicable diseases. At Noah’s Ark Pediatrics, David Dimitroff, MD, and the team keep pediatric patients safely up-to-date on recommended vaccines. If you need to schedule a vaccination or have concerns about immunizations, call the Valparaiso, Indiana, office today, or request an appointment online.
An immunization is a preventive medicine technique that builds your child’s immune defenses against common communicable diseases.
Safely weakened or inactivated versions of the germs that cause serious medical conditions, like whooping cough or the measles, are formulated into a tested, effective vaccine. Most vaccines are delivered via injection.
Immune systems learn from vaccines. After immunization, your child’s immune system will know how to recognize and fight off the type of germ that the vaccine inoculated them against. If your child is exposed to that germ again, they’ll have a much stronger ability to fight it off and avoid becoming ill or infected.
Because small children’s immune systems haven’t been exposed to that many germs yet, it’s important to build up their immunity with childhood vaccinations. Breastfeeding can give your baby some limited immunity but not the kind of protection immunization provides.
Pediatricians use the recommended immunization schedule to give children the best possible protection against disease while not over-stressing their developing bodies. This schedule has been tested as both safe and effective for protecting children against illness.
Recommended pediatric immunizations include:
Dr. Dimitroff can recommend the right schedule for getting your child back on track with immunization if needed.
The benefits of immunization include lasting protection against many serious, and some potentially fatal, communicable diseases. Immunization also helps keep communities safe from outbreaks of disease.
Vaccine injections only take a short time. The Noah’s Ark Pediatrics team understands that your child may be nervous and helps make getting shots easy and painless.
Vaccine allergies are very rare, and vaccines don’t have other significant risks. Your child may have a short-term reaction to a vaccine, including a mild fever, that should resolve on its own within a day or so.
If you have concerns about the low risks associated with immunization, discuss them with Dr. Dimitroff and find the right approach for your child.