By Mayo Clinic Staff

Part of taking care of kids is setting them up for a healthy future. Vaccines play a big part in health.

Children get vaccines for illnesses such as diphtheria, rotavirus, polio, tetanus, whooping cough, also called pertussis, and others in the first year of life. If these diseases seem uncommon, it's because vaccines are doing their job.

Still, you might wonder about the benefits and risks of childhood vaccines. Here are answers to some common questions.

No. In general, it is better for the child to prevent sickness through vaccination rather than through an infection.

Getting infected with a germ may provide some people with a longer-lasting immune response, but this comes with a higher risk. For example, getting a bacterial infection called Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) could lead to long-term deafness, brain damage or even death.

Childhood vaccines protect kids from serious diseases and complications. Vaccines also lower the chance of spreading a disease.

No. Vaccines do not cause autism. The study that suggested this connection in 1998 was based on scientific errors. That study was removed from the scientific record in 2010.

Most vaccine side effects are not dangerous. Any medicine, including vaccines, can cause side effects. Most of the time, these side effects are minor. Some examples are a low-grade fever, headache, fussiness or soreness at the injection site.

Rarely, a child might experience a severe side effect, such as an allergic reaction or a seizure. Caregivers and healthcare professionals watch for these rare side effects after vaccination.

Of course, healthcare professionals don't give vaccines to children who have known allergies to specific parts of a vaccine. And if your child has a life-threatening reaction to one vaccine, further doses of that vaccine won't be given.

The risk of a vaccine causing serious harm or death is very small. The benefits of getting a vaccine are much greater than the possible side effects for almost all children.

Most babies are born with developing immune systems. Vaccination makes sure a baby has as much protection from disease and disease complications as is safely possible. It also helps prevent babies and children from spreading illness to others.

Vaccines for children are timed carefully. Healthcare professionals give children vaccines when protection inherited from the mother fades and the child's immune system is ready for vaccination. The care team gives vaccines to kids before they come in contact with the germs that cause real infections.

It's not a good idea to skip some vaccines. That leaves your child without protection. It also lets a child spread disease to others. For some children, such as kids who are in cancer treatment, whose immune systems are weakened, their main protection from disease is the immunity of the people around them.

And because diseases are still spreading in many parts of the world, skipping vaccines puts your child at risk in the future.

If you are worried about a certain vaccine, talk about your concerns with your child's healthcare team. If your child falls behind the standard vaccine schedule, ask how to catch up.