Vaccine Information

Making an informed vaccination decision and taking responsibility for it is not easy. At times, it seems a lot easier to not ask questions or simply do what someone else tells us to do. But remaining uninformed and trusting blindly can be the biggest risk of all. You have the right to make informed, voluntary choices about risks you are willing to take with your life or your child’s life when it comes to making health care decisions, including vaccination decisions. Exercise your right to be an informed health care consumer.

The National Vaccine Information Center recommends obtaining information from many different sources and consulting one or more health care professionals before making a vaccination decision. NVIC’s website (www.nvic.org) is linked to many different information resources. It is important to become informed about the risks and complications of diseases as well as the risks and complications of vaccines when making a vaccination decision.

Parents: IF YOU VACCINATE, ASK EIGHT:

1. Is my child sick right now?
2. Has my child had a bad reaction to a vaccination before?
3. Does my child have a personal or family history of:

• o vaccine reactions;
• o convulsions or neurological disorders;
• o severe allergies;
• o or immune system disorders?

4. Do I know if my child is at high risk of reacting?
5. Do I know how to identify a vaccine reaction?
6. Do I know how to report a vaccine reaction?
7. Do I know the vaccine manufacturer’s name and lot number?
8. Do I know I have a choice?

For more information about vaccines and infectious diseases, go to www.nvic.org.