Shots
Your baby should be immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping
cough (pertussis), polio, measles, rubella (German measles), mumps, and
Hemophilus influenza type B. Except for oral polio vaccine, which is
given by drops, the other vaccines are given by injection. The MMR
vaccines—measles, mumps, and rubella—usually require only a single
shot to give adequate protection. The DPT vaccines—diphtheria,
tetanus, and whooping cough—are also usually given in a single shot,
but at three different times. Oral polio vaccine is usually given at the
same time as the DPT shots. The third dose of oral polio vaccine is now
optional in most parts of the United States. The H.i.B. vaccine is
recommended at 18 months.
Babies should be immunized as early as possible, because most of the
infectious diseases can be contracted then, and some (such as whooping
cough) are more severe in young children than in older ones. Also, the
younger the children are when they get shots, the less likely they are
to remember them as unpleasant experiences.
(For more information on immunization, see the following articles in the
Medical Guide: [Diphtheria, German measles, Immunization, Measles,
Poliomyelitis, Shots, Whooping cough,] and
[Tetanus.)]{.smallcaps}
