1. Vaccines strengthen the immune system.

    incorrect Answer: True

    Vaccines strengthen the immune system by triggering your baby's natural immune response into action. You can never 'use up' your child's immune system because it is always making more immune system cells. Giving your baby several vaccines at once helps protect them sooner, when they are most at risk from certain diseases.

  2. The average child who gets chickenpox will get about 350 spots (blisters).

    incorrect Answer: True

    The average child will get 350 spots which become itchy and look like blisters filled with fluid. The illness usually lasts about 10 days. Complications from chickenpox are rare but include lung infections, swelling of the brain and skin infections. The chickenpox vaccine is the safest way to protect your child against chickenpox disease and its complications.

    Did you know?

    Chickenpox increases the risk of flesh eating disease 40-60 times.

  3. The risk of brain damage from whooping cough is:





    incorrect Answer: c)

    The risk of brain damage from whooping cough is about 1 in 100 cases. Whooping cough is most severe among young babies.

  4. There has been such a rapid decline in many diseases during the past 50 years in Canada because most of us have been immunized.

    incorrect Answer: True

    It is true that many diseases are now less common in Canada due to vaccinations. If we stop immunizing, the diseases will come back because of a lower 'herd immunity' in the population (see question #7). Some vaccine preventable diseases are still common in other parts of the world. In today's 'global village', these diseases are just a plane ride away.

    Did you know?

    Many war-torn countries around the world will stop fighting temporarily to immunize their children. What’s stopping you?

  5. Tetanus germs live in your backyard and your child’s playground.

    incorrect Answer: True

    Tetanus is a common bacteria mostly found in soil, so we can never get rid of it completely. About 2 in 10 people who get tetanus die from the disease. Risk from tetanus disease is greatest in the very young and the very elderly.

  1. Hepatitis B is a virus that attacks:





    incorrect Answer: a)

    Hepatitis B virus attacks the liver. It can cause permanent liver damage and is the main cause of liver cancer. A baby who gets hepatitis B is likely to have the infection for life. The hepatitis B vaccine is given as part of routine vaccination to infants.

    Did you know?

    British Columbia was the first in North America to provide a Hepatitis B vaccine program in schools.

  2. “Herd immunity” refers to which of the following:



    incorrect Answer: b)

    When most people are vaccinated (and protected), it becomes harder for the disease to spread from person to person. This is herd immunity. Herd immunity protects those people who cannot be immunized because of certain medical conditions in that it leaves them exposed to a greater risk from vaccine preventable diseases. Vaccines protect your children and the children around them.

  3. It is better to get a vaccine than to get a disease "naturally".

    incorrect Answer: True

    Certain diseases can seriously harm a child before their body is able to effectively fight them. Also, natural infection with some diseases such as tetanus may not result in immunity at all. Vaccination is the best way to protect you or your child against disease.

  4. There are vaccines for all of the following diseases except one. Which one?





    incorrect Answer: HIV/AIDS

    There is no vaccine currently available for HIV/AIDS.

  1. Meningococcal disease, an infection caused by a germ (bacteria), can be life threatening.

    incorrect Answer: True

    Meningococcal disease can cause meningitis which is an infection of the lining that covers the brain, and septicemia, (an infection of the blood). Permanent brain damage and deafness can result. For every 100 children who get sick, up to 10 will die.

    Did you know?

    Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) is a disease that was the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in children under five in Canada. Since the vaccine was introduced in 1988 in Canada, there has been a 97% decrease in the number of cases of this life threatening disease. Immunization works!

  2. Complications from measles disease such as lung infections, swelling of the brain and death are most common in:





    incorrect Answer: c)

    Young infants and adults are most at risk of complications from measles. One in 1,000 cases of measles will have inflammation of the brain and many will have permanent brain damage.

    Did you know?

    More babies die of measles per year worldwide than are born in Canada each year.

  3. Immunization has saved more lives than any other public health intervention in the past 50 years.

    incorrect Answer: True

    Immunization works!