Vaccines News & Features
Kindergarten Vaccine Exemptions Soar to New High
- Increase in Measles Cases Tied to Drop in Vaccination Rates
February 23, 2024 — The recent growth in measles cases in the United States and the world is linked to declining vaccination rates for children, medical experts say.
- Extra Messages About HPV Shots Boost Vaccination Rates: Study
November 22, 2023 — Children whose parents received a reminder notification that their child was due for vaccination against human papillomavirus were 56% more likely to get the potentially life-saving medicine, a new study shows.
- CDC Says Child Vaccination Exemptions Hit All-Time High
November 10, 2023 — The CDC said 3% of children starting kindergarten in the 2022-2023 school year received an exemption from one of the four key vaccines—the highest exemption rate ever reported in the United States.
- New Vaccine for Meningitis Could Soon Be Available
October 26, 2023 — A new meningococcal vaccine that better protects against the rare but potentially deadly disease will soon be available.
- Many Parents Struggling to Find COVID Shots for Kids
September 26, 2023 — Doctors and the CDC recommend everyone over 6 months get the new COVID-19 vaccine as fears of complications ease.
- Babies Should Get New RSV Shot This Fall: CDC
August 4, 2023 — The CDC is recommending that all babies younger than 8 months get a shot this fall or winter to protect against respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.
- CDC Cutting Money to States for Childhood Vaccine Programs
July 6, 2023 — The CDC is cutting money for state childhood vaccination programs, according to an agency email. The cut comes from a federal immunization grant, given in the last year, that supports childhood vaccines.
- Experts Blame Lagging MMR Vaccination Rates on Discredited Study
March 6, 2023 — A discredited 1998 study that falsely proposed a link between the MMR vaccine and autism is still having a negative effect on child vaccination rates in the United States and the United Kingdom more than two decades later, medical experts say.
- Fewer Kids Being Vaccinated Against Measles, CDC Says
January 12, 2023 — For the second straight year, the percentage of schoolchildren immunized against measles fell below a critical rate necessary to prevent the virus from spreading in the community, federal health officials say.
- Why Some Groups Hesitate on Vaccination
Misinformation could lead to widening vaccine disparities in babies and toddlers. Here’s what parents need to know to protect their kids.
- Why Aren't More Teenagers Fully Vaccinated?
Too many U.S. children and teens are not getting all the vaccinations they need, a pediatric infectious disease specialist says. See the 2019 updates on vaccinations for children and teens.
- Make Shots Less Painful for Your Baby
Tips to soothe your little one and ease your stress during vaccinations.
- Is There an Alternative Vaccine Schedule?
Experts from the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics talk about alternative vaccine schedules for infants.
- Why Whooping Cough Is Rising Despite a New Vaccine
A look at why whooping cough rates are rising despite a new vaccine.
- A Parent's Guide to Vaccines
Knowing which shots kids need and when can be confusing. Our expert clears it up.
- Are Childhood Vaccines Safe?
For parents, childhood vaccines are a source of reassurance -- protecting your child against disease naturally helps you sleep better at night -- but also anxiety about side effects and reactions.
- Amanda Peet Campaigns for Vaccines
Actress and mother Amanda Peet has learned from personal experience that immunizations are crucial.
- Should Your Child Get the HPV Vaccine?
WebMD discusses the arguments for and against HPV vaccination and explains the risks and benefits associated with it.
- Helping Kids Who Fear Vaccines
WebMD gives tips for helping a child who is afraid of getting a shot. Learn how parents can make the vaccine process go smoothly.
- Unraveling the Whooping Cough Epidemic
WebMD investigates the whooping cough outbreak in California and other states.
- How Proactive Parents Prevent Whooping Cough (Pertussis)
Whooping cough is highly contagious. If one person has pertussis, up to 90% of people in the same house will get it. Here’s what careful moms do.
- Child Vaccines: Some Parents Ill at Ease
Does the private right of parents to not vaccinate their kids trump the greater public good?
- HPV, Cervical Cancer Vaccine: 15 Facts
Here is what you need to know about Gardasil, the new vaccine designed to help prevent cervical cancer and HPV infection.
- Get an 'A' in Vaccines
Vaccines have proved so successful in eliminating their target diseases that some parents of school-aged children have gotten a bit lax about completing the complicated battery of injections.