Why should my child be vaccinated before the school year starts?

It's a good idea to take a couple of precautionary measures to set your child up to be safe and healthy before he or she starts a new school year. One of these is to get your child vaccinated.

In fact, you, your partner and your children should all get vaccinated as early as possible in the school year. Many schools require certain vaccinations before children can enroll. Talk to your children's healthcare provider and your own doctor to find out which ones are recommended, and consider getting the flu vaccine, too. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends an annual flu vaccine for everyone 6 months of age and older.

Vaccines are good to get before school starts because at school your child will be exposed to many germs that can make him sick. Some of the germs cause illnesses that can be prevented with vaccines.