Vaccine Information for Parents and Caregivers

Most parents and caregivers today have never seen first-hand the devastating consequences that vaccine-preventable diseases can have on a child, a family, or community. Thanks to vaccines, many of these diseases are not common in the U.S., but they persist around the world.  Immunizations are still the best way to protect children from 14 vaccine-preventable diseases.  
CDC recently launched a new website designed with input from parents of babies and toddlers. This site features easy-to-find vaccine information, including:

• Recommended Immunization Schedules for:
    * Birth through 6 years
    * 7 through 18 years
    * 19 years and older
• California School & Day Care Immunization Requirements and Law information:
    * www.shotsforschool.org
• Vaccine safety-related issues
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• Descriptions of vaccine-preventable diseases
    Measles FAQs:
      * Measles disease and vaccine information from the Centers for Disease Control
      * Measles Fact Sheet (English)  
      * Measles Fact Sheet (Spanish) 
• Infant Immunization FAQs

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has an online resource, Vaccines for Children, A Guide for Parents and Caregivers (en Español: Vacunas para niños: una guía para padres y cuidadores), that describes in more detail the types of routinely administered vaccines available for children, and answers many of the questions posed by parents and caregivers.

Personal stories of vaccine preventable diseases can be found on the website: http://shotbyshot.org/