Top 10 Questions Parents Ask About Vaccines

Raising a child can come with a lot of questions, especially when it comes to their health and well-being. Vaccines, in particular, often spark a lot of conversation and curiosity among parents. It’s our priority to provide parents and caregivers with clear, reliable guidance. That’s why we asked Laura Romano, D.O., a hospitalist at Cook Children’s, to share the top 10 questions she receives from families.

1. Should my child receive the flu and RSV vaccines now? There seems to be so much confusion in the news, plus I’m not sure my insurance is going to cover all of this anymore.
Yes they should. Please get your seasonal vaccines as soon as possible!

Infants under 8 months whose mother did not receive an RSV vaccine while pregnant should receive their RSV immunization in October. If you did receive an RSV vaccination while pregnant, your child might still need their immunization. Please talk to your pediatrician to see if your child is eligible. RSV immunizations protect up to 90% of severe RSV infections.

Everyone in your house 6 months and older should also receive their seasonal flu vaccine. Ask your pediatrician whether your child should receive the COVID vaccine. These vaccines are recommended by the AAP among other organizations. Unfortunately, healthy children and adults can still have serious complications from the flu and COVID. 

I encourage you to have a conversation with your doctor and the financial representative in your primary care office. We all want to help your family and do what is best for your child.

2. Are vaccines safe and effective? 
Yes. Each vaccine is rigorously studied prior to its approval and is monitored even after it's approved to make sure it’s safe. 

Vaccines have saved nearly 200 million lives in a century, many of those lives were young children and babies. 

3. Do vaccines cause autism?
No. Decades of research have shown over and over again that there is not any link between vaccines and autism. The overwhelming majority of articles that have tried to show any association have been widely discredited by the medical community at large.

4. I heard vaccines contain things like aluminum and formaldehyde. Is that safe to put in my child's body?
Yes! Many of the ingredients found in vaccines are necessary to help the body produce an immune response, like aluminum, and can be found in nature. Aluminum is actually found in fruits and vegetables. It is also found in meat, dairy and produce in small amounts.

And yes, by itself, formaldehyde is dangerous and you wouldn’t want to ingest in any way. However, the amount contained in vaccines is so minimal, so it is very safe. The formaldehyde prevents bacteria from getting into the vaccine vial. 

These ingredients are necessary to make sure the vaccine is safe to give and that the body produces the best immune response. Think of these ingredients like baking cookies. You have to put baking powder and baking soda into the cookies for them to turn out delicious. 

5. Why are there so many shots these days? 
It is a good thing! Science and technology have allowed us to study more diseases and develop more vaccines to prevent children from getting sick! 

Also, many vaccines are now given in combination so there are less injections. 

6. Why don't you recommend a delayed vaccination schedule? 
We know based on years of study how the newborn’s immune system works and when the maternal antibodies begin to fade so vaccines are recommended at specific intervals to provide the most protection to the baby.

7. Will vaccines weaken my child's natural immune system?
Absolutely not! Multiple studies have shown that children who are fully vaccinated are not more at risk for other illnesses. 

On the other hand, certain vaccine-preventable illnesses like measles can cause complications like “immune amnesia” that damages their immune system and makes them more susceptible to other illnesses. 

8. Why does my healthy child need vaccines? Won't their immune system naturally protect them? 
Some vaccine-preventable diseases can cause serious complications including meningitis, seizures, blindness, hearing loss, loss of a limb, permanent brain damage, developmental delays, and pneumonias. Some diseases can be fatal. 

These are complications that we need to protect your child against. While their immune system might be able to fight off the disease, the complications would be devastating and life-changing. It is not worth the risk. 

9. Isn't Hepatitis B an STD? Why should my child get that vaccine? 
Yes, one of the ways that Hepatitis B is spread is through intimate contact but it can also pass from the mother to the baby and cause serious liver damage. Some mothers are not able to receive prenatal care and wouldn’t be tested for Hepatitis B prior to delivery so we vaccinate all babies to protect against liver damage. 

Hepatitis B can also be spread through blood transfusions, bites, lesions, certain sanitary habits, or contact with an infected person’s secretions. 

Vaccinating your child early against a potentially chronic disease is always a good idea! 

10. Are your kids vaccinated? 
Yes! I have two kids (a 7-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son). Both of my kids are fully vaccinated for all the reasons listed above. 

Vaccines protect my children, my patients, my husband, and our community. Children who are fully vaccinated are less likely to spread disease to at-risk individuals, like my dad with diabetes, my daughter’s best friend who has a new baby sister at home, our friend who had a kidney transplant a few years ago, our neighbor who is undergoing chemotherapy, a co-worker whose daughter has congenital heart disease. 

Vaccines protect my kids and our friends and family. We vaccinate because it is the right thing to do and it is the safe thing to do.

Our goal at Cook Children’s is for our community, our patients and our patient families to stay as healthy as possible. If you have any questions, please contact your pediatrician. We’re here to help!