A Word To Parents

     With the exception of tetanus, these diseases are contagious. They can spread rapidly from child to child and from community to community. As long as children remain unprotected against them, serious outbreaks of disease - even epidemics - can occur.

     It is important for parents to understand what protection vaccines give and what risks vaccines create for their children. Generally, vaccines are among our safest and most effective medicines.

     Like other medicines, however, vaccines can cause side effects. These are usually milk - a slight fever, a sore arm, a mild rash - and don't last long. But on rare occasions they are more serious.

     If your child receives a vaccine, gets sick and visits a doctor, hospital, or clinic during the 4 weeks after the immunization, this should be reported to the office or clinic where the vaccine was received.

     The overwhelming majority of medical experts in this country and abroad believe that the benefits of complete immunization far outweigh the risks. The Public Health Service strongly recommends that all healthy children be immunized against all of the vaccine-preventable childhood diseases. State laws require that children must be immunized before being allowed to enter school, with some exceptions.

     The purpose of this booklet, which discusses what you should know about eight dangerous diseases and the vaccines that can prevent them, is to help you make a decision on the basis of accurate information. This booklet covers the eight diseases against which all children should be immunized. New vaccines are now being developed and may be recommended for routine use in the near future.

     Please read the material on the following pages and discuss any questions you have with your doctor or with the staff at the health department clinic. Learn all you can about the serious diseases of childhood. Then, make certain that your children are protected.

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