The main risks associated with getting vaccines are side effects, which are almost always mild (redness and swelling at the injection site) and go away within a few days. Serious side effects after vaccination, such as a severe allergic reaction, are very rare and doctors and clinic staff are trained to deal with them. The disease-prevention benefits of getting vaccines are much greater than the possible side effects for almost all children. The only exceptions to this are cases in which a child has a serious chronic medical condition like cancer or a disease that weakens the immune system or has had a severe allergic reaction to a previous vaccine dose.

In Illinois, children enrolling or entering childcare facilities or schools are required to be vaccinated. Learn more from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Prior to international travel or travel to part of the U.S. with a measles outbreak, all adults and children over 1 year of age should receive 2 doses of the MMR vaccine separated by at least 28 days. Infants 6-11 months of age should receive an early MMR dose prior to traveling internationally; for infants 6-11 months traveling to a part of the U.S. with a measles outbreak, this early dose should be considered as well. Of note, infants who receive an early MMR dose will still need 2 additional doses of MMR after 1 year of age. Talk with your health care provider about protecting yourself and your child as soon as you know your travel plans. Infants who are too young to be vaccinated should avoid contact with sick people or situations where they may be exposed to sick people.

Visit https://www.cdc.gov/measles/plan-for-travel.html or download the MMR travel recommendations documents for more information:

• MMR Vaccine Before Travel (English)
• MMR Vaccine Before Travel (Spanish)
• Preventing Measles Before and After Travel

Depending on the travel destinations, additional vaccines maybe recommended for infants and children, such as:

• Cholera, Dengue, Japanese Encephalitis, Rabies, Tick-borne Encephalitis, Typhoid, Yellow Fever

Learn more about additional vaccines for children when travelling from CDC.

No. Scientific studies and reviews continue to show no relationship between vaccines and autism. Learn more about vaccines and autism from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Vaccines, like any medication, may cause some side effects. Most of these side effects are very minor, like soreness where the shot was given, fussiness, or a low-grade fever. These side effects typically only last a couple of days and are treatable. For example, you can apply a cool, wet washcloth on the sore area to ease discomfort.

No. Before entering school, young children can be exposed to vaccine-preventable diseases. Children under age 5 are especially susceptible to diseases because their immune systems have not built up the necessary defenses to fight infection.

Vaccines are recommended throughout our lives to protect against serious diseases. As protection from childhood vaccines wears off, adolescents need vaccines that will extend protection. Adolescents need protection from additional infections as well, before the risk of exposure increases.

Some vaccine-preventable diseases, like pertussis (whooping cough) and chickenpox, remain common in the United States. On the other hand, other diseases vaccines prevent are no longer common in this country because of vaccines. If we stopped vaccinating, the few cases we have in the United States could very quickly become tens or hundreds of thousands of cases. Even though many serious vaccine-preventable diseases are uncommon in the United States, some are common in other parts of the world. Even if your family does not travel internationally, you could come into contact with international travelers anywhere in your community. Children who don’t receive all vaccinations and are exposed to a disease can become seriously sick and spread it through a community.