Babies need injections (also called vaccinations or immunizations) to protect them from serious and potentially life-threatening diseases. When a baby is born, their immune system is still developing, so vaccines help “train” their body to recognize and fight off harmful viruses and bacteria.
Here’s why injections are important for babies:
- Disease Prevention: Vaccines protect against diseases like measles, polio, diphtheria, hepatitis B, whooping cough, and more.
- Building Immunity Early: Babies receive maternal antibodies at birth, but those fade quickly. Vaccines step in to build long-term immunity.
- Community Protection (Herd Immunity): When most people are vaccinated, it helps protect those who can’t be, like very young babies or children with medical conditions.
- Safe and Tested: Vaccines go through rigorous safety testing and are continuously monitored to ensure they are safe for infants.
- Preventing Complications: Even if a baby survives a disease, the complications (e.g., brain damage, hearing loss) can be lifelong.
Would you like a breakdown of the common vaccines given in the first year of life?
