We get it,
Vaccines
Can Be
Confusing.

Even if you're healthy, staying up to date with your recommended immunizations can reduce the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death – especially for those at higher risk of severe illness from respiratory viruses. Source

Vaccinations throughout childhood are essential to protect young lives. Vaccines help provide immunity to children before they are exposed to potentially harmful diseases like hepatitis B, measles, mumps, polio, and more. Source

Yes, it is safe to receive several vaccines during one visit. Combination vaccines are as safe and effective as individual vaccines, and make it easier to complete recommended doses on time. Receiving multiple doses also does not overwhelm the immune system as many assume – the antigens present in vaccines are a small fraction compared to what our bodies naturally encounter every day. Source

Some parents are concerned that vaccines can cause autism, however many studies have proven that this is not the case by investigating whether there is a relationship between vaccines and Austism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). To date, the studies continue to show that vaccines are not associated with ASD. Please see the CDC vaccine safety website for more information on autism and vaccines.

Thanks to widespread vaccination and surveillance campaigns, diseases like diphtheria, mumps, rubella, polio and measles are now practically unheard of in the United States, but they are still circulating in other regions. If the general population is vaccinated, there are fewer opportunities for vaccine-preventable diseases to spread. This is called “herd immunity” – achieved through widespread vaccination and generally protects us from outbreaks of rare diseases, like when an infected traveler enters the country. If we stopped vaccinations, one imported case of an eradicated disease like measles could spread through unprotected populations like wildfire. That is why it's very important to vaccinate for rare diseases.

It's true that natural infection almost always causes better immunity than vaccines. However, the price paid for natural immunity is often higher and can include more risk. For example, the price paid for immunity after natural infection might be pneumonia from chickenpox, intellectual disability from Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), pneumonia from pneumococcus, birth defects from rubella, liver cancer from hepatitis B virus, or death from measles. That's why it's important to boost your immunity and protection through vaccination.

Getting vaccinated while you're pregnant helps your body create protective antibodies you can pass on to your baby. These antibodies can help protect your baby from those diseases during the first few months of life, while protecting yourself, too.

Current COVID-19 strains in circulation require updated vaccines. It is especially important to get your 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine if you are ages 65 and older, are at high risk for severe COVID-19, or have never received a COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccine protection decreases over time, so it is important to stay up to date with your COVID-19 vaccine.

Yes. Vaccines are very safe, and under constant study. For a vaccine to be recommended as part of an immunization schedule, it must be tested, found safe and closely monitored. Safety testing begins as soon as a new vaccine is made through clinical trials, and evidence of safety is gathered for as long as it's in use. The United States' long-standing vaccine safety system ensures that vaccines are as safe as possible. Currently, the United States has the safest vaccine supply in its history. Millions of children safely receive vaccines each year. The most common side effects are very mild, such as pain or swelling at the injection site.

Yes. Vaccines help prevent severe illness, hospitalization, and death. They are also essential to protect your family, loved ones, and community.

You can get most recommended vaccines at your doctor's office, and many recommended vaccines are also available at local pharmacies, health centers, health departments, and travel clinics. Find information and tools here to help you find out where to get vaccinated near you—and some tips for making an appointment.

All Health Insurance Marketplace plans and most other private insurance plans must cover certain vaccines without charging a copayment or coinsurance when provided by an in-network provider. This is true even for patients who have not met a yearly deductible. Doses, recommended ages, and recommended populations for vaccinations vary.

Medicare Part B plans will pay for: COVID-19 vaccines, Hepatitis B vaccines for persons at increased risk of hepatitis, Influenza (flu) vaccines, Pneumococcal vaccines, and vaccines directly related to the treatment of an injury or direct exposure to a disease or condition, such as rabies and tetanus.

Medicare Part D plans make all adult vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (except those covered by Part B) available at no cost, including: RSV, Zoster (shingles) vaccine, even if a particular drug plan's formulary doesn't list all Part D vaccines, it must provide access when a physician prescribes a Part D vaccine.

Additionally, most adults with coverage from Medicaid and children with coverage from CHIP will be guaranteed coverage of all vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice at no cost to them. CDC's Vaccines for Children (VFC) program provides vaccines at no cost to eligible children through health care providers enrolled in the program.

A booster shot is a dose of vaccine given after a person has had the original vaccine (sometimes called a primary dose or, if more than one dose, primary series). Immunity from the original vaccine can fade over time, and a booster shot can help the immune system “boost” the protection it provides.

Booster shots are given for many vaccines that kids and adults get. These include:

• Hib: The Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine is given to kids in 2 or 3 doses when they're 2–6 months old. They get a booster dose when they're 12–15 months old.
• MenACWY: This meningococcal vaccine is given at age 11–12 years. A booster dose is given at age 16. Kids who have a weak immune system might need to get the primary dose earlier, and then booster doses every few years.
• MenB: This meningococcal vaccine is usually offered as optional at age 16–18, but is recommended as routine for kids 10 years and older who have specific conditions that weaken their immune system. They'll get a booster dose a year after the primary dose and then every 2–3 years for as long as they're at higher risk for meningococcal disease. The vaccine also is recommended if there is an outbreak of the disease (when it happens in greater numbers than expected in a particular area).
• DTaP/Tdap: This vaccine is given as a series of 3 shots when kids are 2, 4, and 6 months old. They get booster shots at ages 15–18 months, 4–6 years, 11–12 years, and then every 10 years. Pregnant women get a booster shot as well.
• IPV: Kids get this vaccine to protect from polio as a series of 4 shots when they're 2 months–6 years old. Adults who are at risk for exposure to polio can get a one-time booster dose

Experts recommend that everyone age 6 months older get a flu vaccine every year, and stay up to date on their COVID-19 vaccine. While these repeated vaccines work by “boosting” the immune system response, experts don't call them booster shots. That's because they differ from the previous vaccines. They've been updated to fight the viruses as they change over time. They don't just boost previous immunity — they provide new immunity. So health experts call them the annual flu vaccine and updated COVID-19 vaccine. But COVID-19 vaccines given after the primary series were called booster shots, so some people still call them that.