Henry (Hank) Bernstein, D.O. is a Senior Lecturer in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Pediatrics at Dartmouth Medical School. Formerly the Associate Chief of General Pediatrics and Director of Primary Care at Children's Hospital Boston, he currently is the Chief of General Academic Pediatrics at Children's Hospital at Dartmouth. He has extensive and varied experience as a primary care pediatrician, and is a spokesperson for the news media on a variety of pediatric health care topics, including vaccination, common childhood illnesses, and practical information for caregivers.

Question:

I have a 5-year-old son who got four shots at his 4-year physical (six months ago). The doctor's office never logged his shots. Now they say he needs five shots before he can start school. Is there any concern with over-immunization if he gets the same shots twice in six months?

Answer:

It surely is inconvenient that the doctor's office "never logged" your son's shots six months ago, but be assured that it is safe for him to be re-immunized (and he should be).

All of the vaccines routinely administered to children who are four to six years old can safely be given again. You should not expect there to be extra side effects. Your son also is not more likely to have a bad reaction to a vaccine because it is an extra dose.

Your question is a good one to ask. The correct answer is that you should not be concerned about over-immunization. At times, children need more than one dose of a vaccine to be protected. We are well aware, too, that each and every child who receives a vaccine may not develop all the protection they need. There are always a few who may not.

Lastly, the protection people develop from a vaccine may not last their entire life. So, any extra dose of a vaccine your son receives will actually boost his amount of protection and may even last longer.

From now on, be sure to ask for an updated immunization record whenever someone in your family is immunized. Store it in your personal files, so you can always have a list on hand.