What You Need to Know About Vaccines
The County of San Diego is committed to ensuring residents continue to have access to safe and effective vaccines that are based on credible, transparent, and science-based evidence. In alignment with the West Coast Health Alliance and other leading medical, health, and patient advocacy groups, we follow the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule.
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Decades of research and large-scale studies show that vaccines do not cause autism.
Autism is a complex neurodevelopment condition with multiple contributing factors, including genetic and environmental. Delaying or withholding vaccines will:
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Not lessen the risk of autism.
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Increase the time children and individuals are at risk for vaccine-preventable disease. These diseases, like chickenpox, whooping cough (pertussis), and pneumococcal disease are still fairly common.
Vaccines help your body learn how to fight a disease without making you sick.
- Vaccines contain either a dead or weakened form of the germ to help your body build a defense system (called antibodies) to fight the disease if you are ever exposed. Vaccines do not give you the disease. Instead, they make it much less likely you’ll get very sick, be hospitalized, or die from a disease. This is especially important for people with weaker immune systems, older adults, young children, and people with chronic health conditions.
Vaccines help reduce the spread of disease.
- When enough people in the community are protected (usually through vaccination), the disease can’t spread easily. This help protects vulnerable people, like babies, older adults, and people with weaker immune systems.
- If too few people are protected, diseases can still spread and cause outbreaks.
Vaccines go through careful testing to make sure they're safe before approved for use. This includes all the ingredients in a vaccine.
- Once a vaccine is in use, it is closely monitored for any safety issues.
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Even in emergencies, like when developing the COVID-19 vaccines, safety steps are never skipped.
Vaccines may cause short-term, mild side effects in some people, like a low fever, soreness, rash, or bruises around the injection.
- Short-term effects are normal and mean your immune system is practicing how to fight a virus or bacteria in case you're ever exposed.
- Long-term health problems from vaccines are extremely rare.
Vaccination has improved the quality of life for many worldwide, and serious diseases like smallpox have been eliminated. Millions of people safely get vaccines every year. Talk with your doctor or healthcare provider if you have questions about a vaccine for yourself or your child.
Follow vaccine schedules for babies, children, teens , adults and older adults , and find clinics, and community places where you can get vaccinated.
Recent changes in national vaccine guidance may have caused confusion on who should get vaccines and when. Along with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and West Coast Health Alliance, the County of San Diego bases recommendations for vaccines on guidelines from trusted medical professional organizations:
- Children and
adolescent through age 18 years according to the American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Child and Adolescent
Immunization Schedule (version 9/17/2025).
- The current AAP recommendations for children and adolescents consider when children are most vulnerable to diseases, when vaccines work best with children's immune systems, the safety of vaccinations begin recommended, the risk of diseases in the U.S., our current access to healthcare and immunizations, and cost-effectiveness of implementing national recommendations for a particular vaccination.
- Adults age 19 years and older according to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Immunization Schedule (version 8/28/2025).
Vaccines help people stay healthy at every age and stage of life, from babies to older adults. Everyone should get the recommended vaccines at the recommended times, because our immune systems change over time.
- Follow the AAP Schedule (Social Media)
- What to Know About Vaccine Reccommendations for Children (Social Media)
- Answers to Parents’ Top Immunization Questions
- Immunizations for a Healthy Pregnancy
- Me and My Family
- Vaccine Facts: What You Need to Know
- What Shots Does My Baby Need and When?
- What Shots Does My Preteen or Teen Need?
CDPH Office of Communications
- Joint Statement from California Health and Human Services Leaders on Vaccine Access and Availability
- West Coast Health Alliance Recommends AAP Vaccine Schedule
Healthcare Organizations
Vaccine Safety
- Vaccine Safety: Examine the Evidence (Healthy Children)
Contact the San Diego Immunization Unit via e-mail or call (866) 358-2966 for more information or to request materials.
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