Why Do Children Need Booster Shots
Vaccines are an important part of a medical care plan to keep your child healthy. Your healthcare provider will recommend a schedule of vaccines that is best for your child. But you may wonder – why does my child need to get the same vaccine more than once?
There are a few reasons that your child may get more than one injection of a certain vaccine. The vaccine may need to be given in more than one dose to help the body’s immune system learn how to fight the disease being prevented. The repeated doses help the child’s immune system re-learn how to fight the disease, which also builds stronger and more long-lasting immunity. Research has been conducted to determine when to give the doses to achieve optimal protection from the disease. This is why many of the vaccines given early in life to infants may need to be repeated. Examples of these vaccines include hepatitis B, rotavirus, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, and pneumococcal vaccines.
A dose of the vaccine may need to be given years later to maintain immunity as protection from the disease may wane or wear off over time. Therefore, a booster dose of the vaccine may need to be given at certain intervals. One example of vaccine that need to have booster doses is tetanus which needs to be given every 10 years after the first series of doses.
Lastly, some vaccines need to be given annually because the type of virus may change from season to season. That is why flu and COVID-19 injections are updated each year. Children need to receive these immunizations regularly to be protected from disease.
Because getting the right vaccines at the right time is an important part of staying healthy, be sure to check with your healthcare provider when your next doses are needed.