Why it’s a bad idea to space out your child’s vaccination shots

“With so many vaccines being required for young children today, some parents are asking their doctors whether they can space out or delay the vaccine schedule. They’re concerned that too many vaccines might overwhelm their child’s immune system. Parents also worry that getting more than one shot at a time increases the pain and stress.

Debate about childhood vaccinations has intensified in recent years because of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable disease that have been fueled in part by parents who decline to get their children vaccinated at all or according to the recommended schedule.

After a 2014-2015 outbreak of measles that spread at Disneyland, California passed a law that requires almost all public school children to get immunizations. State health officials announced last week that California’s school vaccination rate is now at its highest level in more than 15 years.

Pediatricians and public health experts say parents are continuing to ask questions about the recommended vaccine schedule. Here are some answers to those questions.”

Read more from the Washington Post HERE.