There are very few reasons to avoid vaccinations

Winter is finally over, but respiratory infections are still being passed around schools and day care. My young patient was on the receiving end of one of these bugs and I was sending his parents home with a prescription for a course of antibiotics to treat the little boy's persistent sinus infection.

The child needed to return to the office for several routine vaccines, and I suggested he come back the following week for a shot visit. The couple exchanged worried glances. "We've heard you shouldn't vaccinate a child while he's on antibiotics," mom said.

I explained that it wasn't antibiotic use that was the issue, but the overall health of the child at the time of the vaccination. If the little boy was clinically improved, I assured them, he could safely receive the necessary vaccines even while on the last few days of his medication.

While I do hold off on vaccinating the obviously ill child, if I avoided giving shots to every child with a minor respiratory illness, a large number of kids would fall way behind on immunizations during the long winter cold and flu season.

The current U.S. measles outbreak, which officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have linked to importation from other countries as well as incomplete childhood immunizations, illustrates the need for continued vigilance in keeping all children up-to-date on their protective vaccinations.

There are actually very few true contraindications, or reasons not to give childhood shots on the schedule approved by the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

According to the CDC, there are two absolute contraindications to vaccine administration in the generally healthy pediatric population: a previous serious allergic reaction to a particular vaccination, or a recognized serious allergic reaction to any component of such a vaccine.

Although not a true contraindication, a child exhibiting symptoms of a moderate or severe illness on the day of a scheduled immunization should be treated with caution. In most of these situations, vaccination is delayed until the child shows signs of improvement.

The CDC specifically states that vaccines can be safely administered to children with mild acute illnesses, as well as to those patients recovering from illnesses and those who are completing courses of antibiotics.

Vaccines can also be given to patients with a history of mild to moderate fevers or mild to moderate local skin reactions (swelling, redness and tenderness at the shot site) following previous immunizations.

As there are live viral vaccines such as the chickenpox shot that should not be given to pregnant or severely immunocompromised individuals, these patients should consult with their doctors before receiving any immunizations.