Vaccine Safety

Frequently Asked Questions

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Do vaccines weaken the immune system?

Answer: No. Vaccines strengthen the immune system to protect children and adults from specific diseases. This is true even for newborn infants. Infants and children are exposed to many kinds of germs every day, through normal eating, drinking and playing. Scientists estimate the immune system can recognize and respond to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of different organisms. The vaccines recommended for children and adults use only a small portion of the immune system's "memory". Infants need to be protected with vaccines because they are more likely to get very sick from the diseases that vaccines can prevent, such as diphtheria, whooping cough and meningitis due to Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). The recommended immunization schedule for infants in Canada is carefully timed to ensure that newborns and older babies get safe and effective protection from the diseases that are most likely to seriously harm them.

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