Overview
Vaccines are an important part of healthcare, starting from birth. At M Health Fairview, our providers can help you get vaccinated for illnesses such as:
- Influenza (flu)
- Shingles
- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
- Polio
- Diphtheria
- Measles
- Mumps
- Tetanus
- Hepatitis A and B
- Human papillomavirus (HPV)
- Pneumococcal disease (including pneumonia, meningitis, sinusitis, and other serious infections)
Many of these illnesses have serious symptoms and were formerly common but have been largely reduced or eradicated using vaccines. Keeping up with scheduled vaccines protects both you and others around you.
Our approach
Vaccines have been used for more than 200 years and are carefully developed, tested, and monitored to ensure they are safe and effective. At M Health Fairview Pediatrics, we recommend routine immunizations to protect your child – and to help safeguard family members, classmates, and your broader community. In many cases, just one or two doses can provide lifelong protection.
Vaccines safely introduce tiny, harmless pieces of viruses and bacteria so our immune systems can learn to fight them. That’s why childhood vaccines start early and are often given in combinations, so that kids build protection as soon as possible. By age 4, children who have received all their scheduled vaccines are protected against 14 different diseases.
M Health Fairview follows the childhood immunization schedule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
Talk With Your Child’s Provider
Your child’s primary care provider is your best resource for understanding which vaccines are right for them and when to get them. Consider asking:
- Which vaccines do you recommend for my child?
- Can my child get their flu and COVID-19 vaccines during the same visit?
- What side effects should I expect, and how can I comfort my child afterward?
- How can my child catch up if they’re behind on any vaccines?
Vaccination Support for Parents and Caregivers
Getting a vaccine may cause anxiety for children. We know it can be difficult at times as a parent or caregiver to support your kids during injections. But keeping your child up to date with all recommended vaccinations is one of the best ways you can protect your child from serious illness.There are some strategies you can use to help your child cope with getting a vaccine. Here are ideas that may help, from our team of certified child life specialists at M Health Fairview Pediatrics.