Pediatric Immunizations & Vaccines

Quakerbridge Pediatrics strongly believes that all children should receive the immunizations and vaccines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Following strict guidelines, our pediatricians offer full vaccine schedules to protect your child against diseases that are preventable. We do our very best to make the process comfortable for your child.

What Are Vaccines?

Vaccines administered to your child from Quakerbridge Pediatrics contain the same germs that cause the original disease (for example, measles vaccine contains the measles virus). A vaccine may contain only a part of the disease germ or the disease found in the vaccine is weakened to the point that it will not make your child sick. The vaccine will work to stimulate your child’s immune system to produce the antibodies required for your child to develop an immunity to the disease without having the full disease first. Unlike most medicines that treat or cure disease, a vaccine will prevent them.

Why Immunize?

Although it may be upsetting to see your baby or young child receive 3 or 5 immunizations during your pediatrician visit, you must remember that those shots will protect your baby against 14 infectious diseases. Young babies can become very sick from vaccine-preventable diseases and thus it is important to set-up, follow, and discuss your child’s vaccine schedule with your Quakerbridge Pediatrics physician in order to prevent potentially serious diseases. When following a proper vaccine schedule, you child will continue to receive several vaccines until they reach two years of age. These vaccines will not overload the immune system. Your healthy baby’s immune system continuously fights off millions of antigens every single day (parts of germs that cause a child’s body’s immune system to take action). The antigens contained in vaccines are a small fraction of the antigens your baby naturally faces everyday, and are not strong enough to cause serious illness.

Risks Associated With Vaccines

A simple search through today’s media will return a number of warnings and stories that may cause you to question allowing your child to become vaccinated. However, opponents of vaccinations often exaggerate or create false immunization risks with no evidence to support their claims. We urge you to consult your Quakerbridge Pediatrics physician regarding the Time and time again, panels of medical experts have confirmed that today’s vaccines are safer and more effective than ever. Quakerbridge Pediatrics believes that a child may be at greater risk of healthy complications when they are not immunized. All vaccines must be approved and licensed before being made available to your child. Each vaccine will go through several rounds and years of testing for both safety and effectiveness. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and government agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have never recommended a vaccine that has not passes these safety tests. As a parent, we urge you to discuss your immunization and vaccine concerns with your Quakerbridge Pediatric physician.

Vaccines Administration

When you schedule an immunization appointment at Quakerbridge Pediatrics you can expect the best care and administration. We have many years of dealing with all types of children in need of vaccinations of all kinds. During your appointment we will discuss your child’s vaccination schedule, take the time to address any concerns you may have regarding the immunization, help answer questions you have while helping to educate you as a parent, and ensure your child receives the vaccine protection he or she deserves. Our physicians take the immunization and vaccine process very seriously and continue to review disease trends in the United States, research current vaccination recommendations, and work to share this information with you.