The medical experts at Children’s Wisconsin want the kids we serve to be the healthiest in the nation. One of the best ways to keep kids healthy is to make sure they are vaccinated.
Vaccines are important to keeping kids healthy and have been shown to be safe and effective. They are the best thing we can do to protect kids, families and our community from serious diseases. The germs that cause these diseases are still around. Keeping kids on the recommended schedule for vaccines will help your kids stay healthy.
We value having conversations with families about vaccines to offer information and share our pediatric expertise.
Vaccines are not just for kids. It is important that teens and adults also receive regular vaccines. When you protect yourself, you protect everyone around you. Make sure your entire family is up to date on vaccines.
To help us make sure your child is up to date on vaccinations, Children's can look at vaccine records as part of each hospital stay and clinic visit. The state has a computer database, called the Wisconsin Immunization Registry, where health care providers can record all vaccines they give.
You can check your own child's records using their full name, Social Security number and birth date.
We will let you know if we see that your child is missing vaccines. Some vaccines may be available at the hospital. Your primary care doctor's office or the place your family regularly gets medical care is called a medical home. Care providers at your medical home or your local health department also can help make sure your child stays up to date with vaccines. Let us know if you need help finding a medical home. If you have a state insurance card, you also can call the 800 number on the back for help finding a medical home.
Many parents and caregivers have questions about vaccines. Here are some common questions answered.
Can some vaccines cause autism?
Extensive research shows no link between autism and any vaccine. Multiple large studies and reviews confirm this. The claim that vaccines, especially the MMR vaccine, cause autism came from a 1998 study that was later discredited and retracted for serious flaws. The doctor who led the study has been barred from practicing medicine. Multiple other studies have been done around the world and included hundreds of thousands of children. All studies done since have found no connection to link vaccines to causing autism.
Major medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and World Health Organization (WHO), have confirmed vaccines are safe and do not cause autism. What we do know is that vaccines protect children from serious, potentially life-threatening diseases, and the risks of skipping vaccines are far greater than the very rare side effects.
Is Thimerosal (mercury) in vaccines dangerous?
No. Thimerosal is a preservative that contains ethyl mercury, which the body clears quickly. It is different from methylmercury, the type that can build up in fish and cause harm at high levels.
Extensive research has shown no evidence that thimerosal in vaccines is harmful to children or adults. Out of caution, thimerosal was removed from nearly all routine childhood vaccines in the U.S. starting in 2001. Major health organizations confirm that thimerosal in vaccines is safe.
I'm worried that giving too many vaccines at one time may overload my child’s immune system and that spacing out the vaccines is safer.
Children are exposed to far more antigens (an immune-stimulating component and one of the ingredients in vaccines) daily from food and the environment than from vaccines. In fact, a child with a cold is exposed to far more antigens than they would be from a routine set of vaccinations.
The childhood immunization schedule is created by top medical experts and is designed to protect a child at the most vulnerable times in their development. Giving multiple vaccines at a single visit is safe and does not cause chronic health problems.
Spreading out vaccines leaves a child unprotected against dangerous diseases for a longer period. This blog further explains the dangers of spreading out or delaying vaccines.
If my child is healthy, why do they need vaccines?
Our kids are healthy today because of the success of vaccines! Yes, healthy kids still need vaccines to protect themselves and others from serious and sometimes deadly diseases. We have seen how routine vaccines have made us forget about diseases that used to cause severe illness and sometimes death in children. It is estimated that routine childhood vaccination has prevented ~508 million U.S. illnesses and 1.1 million deaths among children born 1994–2023. We have seen recently that outbreaks often start in under-vaccinated groups and can severely affect healthy children. We know vaccines are extensively studied and are safe.
Is there a possible link between vaccines and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)?
There is no connection between vaccines and SIDS. Infants typically receive several vaccines between the ages of 2 and 4 months, which is coincidentally the peak age for SIDS. Many scientific research studies have investigated whether or not there could be a correlation. These studies have found either no relation between vaccinations and SIDS, or a reduction of the risk of SIDS following vaccination.
Children’s Wisconsin follows the American Academy of Pediatrics evidence-based immunization schedule. The schedule includes updated guidance for children and adolescents from birth to age 18.
Here is a summary of the recommended vaccines by age:
Read our blog Protecting Your Family This Flu Season.
Many people don't realize how serious influenza (flu) illness can be, even for previously healthy kids and teens. In fact, a record number of U.S. children were hospitalized with the flu during the 2024-2025 flu season, totaling more than 610,000 admissions.
The good news is that there is a safe, simple and effective way to protect your children and family. Getting the flu vaccination for your child is the best thing you can do to prevent them from getting seriously sick and getting others sick from the flu.
The flu is a respiratory illness that causes a number of symptoms. These include:
The flu can last a week or even longer. The flu spreads through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching your face. Serious complications can include pneumonia, bronchitis, and in rare cases, neurological problems.
The flu virus changes each season, so even though you may have had the flu or been vaccinated in the past, you can get it again. It’s important to get your flu vaccination every year as soon as possible as it typically takes two weeks for the vaccine to be fully effective.
What is the vaccine?
The flu vaccine has been studied extensively since its origin in the late 1930s and is safe and recommended for nearly everyone older than 6 months old.
For patients with a mild egg allergy, it is safe for them to receive the normal flu vaccines.
What are common side effects?
While there may be some side effects of getting the vaccination, like soreness at the site of injection and mild flu-like symptoms from our body mounting an immune response, the vaccine does not cause the flu. The potential side effects of the vaccination are much less severe than a potential case of the flu.
Read our blog Measles Outbreak Shows Importance of Getting Your Kids Vaccinated.
Measles is one of the most highly contagious viral diseases, and it is 100% preventable. Measles can lead to serious health complications, including pneumonia, encephalitis (brain swelling), and death. The virus spreads easily and can survive for up to 2 hours on surfaces or in the air. For children who are unvaccinated, if they are exposed to the virus in a close-contact setting, they have a greater than 90% chance of becoming infected.
People with poor immune systems or other illnesses can develop serious and deadly complications. Those who survive can experience permanent neurological disabilities.
Measles is most dangerous for infants and children younger than age 5, pregnant individuals, and those with weakened immune systems.
One in five unvaccinated people with measles require hospitalization.
Exposed individuals who are not vaccinated may need to quarantine for up to 3 weeks.
What is the vaccine?
The measles vaccine is part of a series called MMR, which includes measles, mumps and rubella. The MMR vaccine is administered in two doses, with the first dose recommended at 12 months of age and the second at 4 years. Two doses are about 97% effective at preventing measles, providing long-term immunity.
A note about MMRV: Consistent with our current practice, our recommendation remains that children receive the first dose of the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine separate from the Varicella (V) vaccine. This means two vaccines are administered on the same day, commonly at the 12-month appointment. Subsequent doses of the MMR and V vaccines are usually combined into one injection.
What are common side effects?
Common side effects from the vaccine include soreness and a mild rash or redness at the injection site, a fever, and temporary pain or stiffness in the joints. Serious side effects are rare.
Read our blog Namine’s COVID-19 Decision.
COVID-19 is a disease in humans caused by a coronavirus. It was originally identified in 2019 and became pandemic in 2020. COVID symptoms generally begin 2-14 days after a child is exposed to the virus. They may include:
Less common COVID symptoms may include:
Some children and teens with COVID, even with few or no symptoms, have developed conditions such as long COVID. In addition, a child may have no symptoms but can still spread the infection to others.
What is the vaccine?
The COVID vaccine works similarly to other vaccines your child has had. Germs such as SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, invade and multiply inside the body. The vaccine prepares your child's immune system to recognize and make antibodies that fight the virus. When your child is vaccinated, they are better protected. If they do get infected, they likely will not be as sick as they would without the vaccine. They also are much less likely to be hospitalized if they get the virus.
Millions of kids have safely received COVID vaccines. The vaccines continue to be monitored very closely. We continue to offer the COVID-19 vaccine to all children 6 months and older, including those who do not have underlying health conditions, when desired by a parent or guardian.
What are common side effects?
Common side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine include:
In infants and toddlers, common symptoms include irritability or crying, decreased appetite, and sleepiness.
Serious side effects and allergic reactions are rare and treatable.
