Vaccinations, why do I need them??

Dear Ask The Doctor: I don't want to get my kid vaccinated because as far as I can find there is no independent research outside of a pharmaceutical company or government entity that is for it. Why is that so and where can I find out?

Dear James: This is a common concern for many a parent. There are many articles on the internet that tell about the harm of vaccination and how it increases the risk for autism. But vaccination is important and here is the reason why :

i) Though newborn babies are immune to many diseases because they have antibodies from their mothers. This immunity may last only a month to about a year. Young children do not have maternal immunity against some vaccine-preventable diseases, such as whooping cough.

ii) A child who is not immunized is at risk of getting various infections that could have been vaccine preventable. A child's immune system may not be well developed to fight against the infection.

iii) Immunization provides immunity the the individual as well as the community. Immunization also slows down or stops disease outbreaks.

I hope these points help you to gain more information on the importance of vaccinations.