Important Childhood Vaccinations: A Schedule For Patents

Childhood vaccinations are one of the easiest and most effective ways to protect your child from serious, contagious diseases like measles, hepatitis, and meningitis. Vaccines are easily administered by your child's pediatrician during routine visits.

At A to Z Pediatrics offers comprehensive immunizations for children in New Port Richey, FL. Dr. Haravu Lokesh, Dr. Rupal Desai, and Dr. Monica T. Porcelli provide the necessary vaccinations for children to avoid serious illnesses.

What You Need to Know about Childhood Immunizations

It is essential to ensure your child receives the necessary vaccinations.

Immunizations are:

• Safe, with rigorous testing and approval by the FDA
• Effective, boasting a success rate of 95-99% according to healthychildren.org
• Required, as your child likely cannot attend daycare or school without them

Essential Childhood Immunizations

These are the vaccines administered to newborns:

• Hepatitis B, or Hep B, first dose, which is given within 24 hours of birth

These are the vaccinations administered when your child is one to two months old:

• Hepatitis B, or Hep B, second dose
• Diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough, or DTap, first dose
• Haemophilus influenzae type b, or Hib, first dose
• Polio, or IPV, first dose
• Pneumococcal disease, or PCV13, first dose
• Rotavirus, or RV, first dose

These are the vaccinations administered when your child is three to four months old:

• Diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough, or DTap, second dose
• Haemophilus influenzae type b, or Hib, second dose
• Polio, or IPV, second dose
• Pneumococcal disease, or PCV13, second dose
• Rotavirus, or RV, second dose

These are the vaccinations administered when your child is five to six months old:

• Diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough, or DTap, third dose
• Haemophilus influenzae type b, or Hib, third dose
• Polio, or IPV, third dose
• Pneumococcal disease, or PCV13, third dose
• Rotavirus, or RV, third dose
• Influenza, or flu, yearly

There are additional vaccinations for children 12 to 23 months old:

• Chickenpox, or varicella, first dose
• Diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough, or DTap, fourth dose
• Haemophilus influenzae type b, or Hib, fourth dose
• Measles, mumps, and rubella, or MMR, first dose
• Polio, or IPV, third dose
• Pneumococcal disease, or PCV13, fourth dose
• Hepatitis A, or HepA, first dose
• Hepatitis B, or HepB, third dose, between 6 and 18 months
• Influenza, or flu, yearly

For more information about the legal requirements for immunizations in New Port Richey, FL, contact A to Z Pediatrics today.

Want to Know More About Important Childhood Immunizations?

You may visit Dr. Lokesh, Dr. Desai, and Dr. Porcelli at A to Z Pediatrics in New Port Richey, FL to learn about immunizations and when your child should receive them. You are welcome to call our office at (727) 375-5242 today.