Love them. Protect them. Immunize them.

BINGHAMTON, NY - National Infant Immunization Week is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiative that is designed to heighten public awareness about the importance of childhood immunizations. Vaccinations are important because they protect infants from serious illnesses and potentially life threatening diseases, such as diphtheria, pertussis and polio. 

When they are born, babies are immune to many diseases due to antibodies passed from the mother. However, the duration of this immunity is short-lived, lasting only a month to about a year. The protection infants acquire from their mother does not happen with all vaccine-preventable diseases. Infants are particularly at risk for infectious diseases, which is why it is important to protect them through immunizations.