In Canada, we are incredibly lucky to have free vaccines available for all of our children. Vaccines are important because they protect our children from potentially fatal diseases. Babies are delivered vaccinations from their doctors starting at two and four months old. It is especially important that you vaccinate your infant children because they are extremely susceptible to contracting serious illness resulting in complications or even death. Vaccinations are continued to be given at different intervals on into early childhood. Most vaccinations are doubled up so only one needle is required to deliver a vaccination against multiple different diseases.
Is it safe to vaccinate your children?
Canada provides extremely strict controls on preparing the vaccinations all of our children are eligible to receive, so yes it is absolutely safe. Each vaccine is tested and proven to be safe. Although some children may develop a slight fever or become irritable after having received a vaccination, the short-term discomfort is much preferable to contracting any one of the diseases being vaccinated against.
Why you should vaccinate your children
The best answer to this question is to save their lives. Many diseases that are vaccinated against are almost non-existent in Canada at the present time, and that is largely thanks to the vaccinations. However, travel abroad provides for children and adults to bring diseases back into Canada and spread to Canadians, which is why having up-to-date vaccinations is important at all times.
What if I choose not to vaccinate my child?
It is ultimately up to the parent to choose to take their children to be vaccinated by their doctor. If you choose not to vaccinate your child, you may not be able to send them to a licensed daycare as proof of vaccination is typically required. Depending on what province you live in, you may also have difficulty enrolling your child in school when they become school age as vaccination records are required there as well. Some parents choose not to vaccinate their children for religious, medical, or philosophical reasons. These parents will need to take extreme caution if there is ever an outbreak of disease to which their child has not been vaccinated against.
Should we all get the flu shot?
Annually in Ontario there is also a free flu shot offered for residents of all ages. It’s important that children and parents all get the flu shot each year to minimize their risk of contracting the flu. The flu can have a serious life threatening effect on young children and must be taken seriously each and every year.
Many parts of the world still suffer from the diseases Canadians have been able to effectively vaccinate against. We are a fortunate nation and will continue to be healthy and strong as long as we continue to vaccinate our children and keep everyone safe.
