The Benefits of Pediatric Immunizations

Vaccines are very important, but it's understandable that you may have questions about how they work and how exactly they benefit your child. The good news is that if you do have any concerns regarding immunizations you can turn to the health professional you already trust with your child's health, our Raleigh, NC, pediatrician from White Oak Pediatrics.

The Immune System and Immunizations

Your child's immune system is a very capable system, its job is to protect the body against invading pathogens that can lead to infection and disease. The way that it does this is by identifying the foreign threat and then tracking it down and ultimately eliminating it.

Problems tend to occur when the immune system can't recognize a pathogen and doesn't know how to combat it, so it can be overwhelmed. The role of immunizations, in the simplest terms, is to teach the immune system to identify and fight a specific pathogen.

The Immunization Schedule

Immunizations, or vaccines, introduce a weakened or dead pathogen so that the body and its immune system can be prepared when and if they come in contact with the real thing. As the name may suggest, immunizations are meant to help improve your child's immunity against certain diseases.

To accomplish this, the immunization schedule was created by experts, these provide a regimen for which vaccines should be given at what age and how many doses of each for maximum effect.

Benefits

The most obvious benefit of pediatric immunizations is that, by keeping current with their immunization schedule, your child can be protected against many harmful diseases and health complications.

But vaccines, overall, have helped many children all over the world by greatly reducing the spread of certain diseases so that those who are more susceptible to them have fewer opportunities to contract them. In all, vaccines have helped to nearly eradicate many diseases that were once so prevalent.

Immunizations in Raleigh, NC

To make sure your child is caught up on their immunizations you can schedule a visit with your local Raleigh, NC, health experts at White Oak Pediatrics by dialing (919) 787-0266.