Vaccines Don't "Overload" Kids' Immune Systems, a New Study Confirms

As parents of young kids, you've probably been caught up in a debate centreed on vaccines at one point or another. A study recently published in the medical journal JAMA aims to lay one part of the ongoing argument to rest by confirming that, no, getting vaccines will not compromise your child's immune system or put them at a higher risk of infection.

Researchers analysed the medical records from more than 900 babies from six hospitals and clinics in the western US between 2003 and 2013. They compared 193 infants who had come down with "non–vaccine-targeted infections," like upper and lower respiratory infections and gastrointestinal infections that weren't covered by vaccines, with 741 babies who didn't get sick.

The study's authors found that there was no link between giving kids vaccines at 23 months or younger and them coming down with other diseases down the road between the ages of 2 and 4 years old.

So what does this mean for parents? Generally speaking, there's no point in opting for a delayed vaccination schedule. According to Science Magazine, researchers recommend children stick with the vaccine schedule that's outlined by the CDC.