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Home › Articles › Toddler Health › A Double Shot

A Double Shot

Combined Vaccines: The Latest in Immunization

By Katherine Bontrager

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"Combined vaccines also save money for practitioners by reducing the number of syringes and other equipment needed," says Dr. Judelsohn. "There is also less time needed for nurses or health care workers to enter data. Everything is very positive about it."

For Dr. Johnson, the benefits of combined vaccines remain quite simple: It increases patient acceptance of the immunizations by taking away one of the factors associated with refusing vaccines, namely the number of injections. "The only potential drawback is that a patient may receive more doses of a particular immunization than required, such as with Pediarix™, where a patient receives four doses of the hepatitis B shot rather than the three usually given," he says. "But overall it is good news since nobody likes to see a child receive more injections than necessary. We feel like we don't have to turn a child into a 'pin-cushion' quite as much as when we have to give the larger number of injections."

Dr. Johnson recommends the use of Pediarix™ and the other combined vaccines when appropriate based on the schedule of immunizations recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Committee of Immunization Practices.

However, in the rush to protect the new generation from an old world full of diseases, there are no short cuts. "Before a new combination vaccine is licensed, the FDA requires that it be shown to be safe and as effective as vaccines already licensed," says Dr. Lieberman. "Neither safety nor protection will be sacrificed for the sake of convenience."

Dr. Judelsohn agrees. "As new vaccines arrive for prevention of disease in children and adults, they are scrutinized with the utmost care to ensure the highest degree of safety," he says.

More combination vaccines are in various stages of development and evaluation, says Dr. Lieberman. "Immunizations are one of the most important things that we can do to keep our children healthy," he says. "Combination vaccines allow us to protect them with fewer shots. Parents should talk with their child's doctor if they have questions about the best vaccines for their child."


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