Why Babies Need Shots

Why Your Baby Needs Shots

Infants can be more susceptible than older kids and adults to complications from contagious diseases -- and those complications can be far more severe. Pneumonia and meningitis, which are prevented by the Hib vaccine, can lead to brain damage and death in a child under 1 year.

You may be questioning whether your infant's immune system can handle all the vaccines -- and wondering if it's true that they can cause autism. In fact, according to a study published in Pediatrics, 25 percent of moms and dads surveyed believed that too many inoculations given during the first year would weaken their child's immune system. However, the truth is that infants can respond to multiple vaccines, which play a vital role in helping their immune system avoid diseases, says Walter Orenstein, MD, associate director of the Emory University Vaccine Center, in Atlanta.