
Dos and Don'ts of Vaccinations
Dos
Vaccines that your child gets at school do...
- protect you and your child from many serious and potentially deadly diseases
- protect other people in your community – by helping to stop diseases spreading to people who cannot have vaccines
- undergo rigorous safety testing before being introduced – they are also constantly monitored for side effects after being introduced
- sometimes cause mild side effects that will not last long – some children may feel a bit unwell and have a sore arm for two or three days
- reduce or even get rid of some diseases – if enough people are vaccinated
Don't
Vaccines that your child gets at school don't...
- do not cause autism – studies have found no evidence of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism
- do not overload or weaken the immune system – it's safe to give children several vaccines at a time and this reduces the amount of injections they need
- do not cause allergies or any other conditions – all the current evidence tells us that vaccinating is safer than not vaccinating
- do not contain mercury (thiomersal)
- do not contain any ingredients that cause harm in such small amounts – but speak to your doctor if you have any known allergies such as eggs or gelatine