Parents aren’t all convinced that childhood vaccines against diseases are all safe and necessary, but are still largely getting them for their kids, a new survey shows.

The survey was analyzed by researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Vaccine Program Office. The officials concluded in this month in the journal Health Affairs more needs to be done to convey the vaccine’s benefits and low risks.

“The good news is that almost all parents are getting their children vaccinated. But that doesn’t necessarily mean all parents have a high level of confidence in those vaccines,” said lead author Allison Kennedy, an epidemiologist in CDC’s Immunization Services Division, in a statement.

“These findings point us toward what we need to focus on to better answer questions and concerns parents have about why immunization is important.”

The vaccines are best before age two when children are most vulnerable, she said. But some parents still associate them with autism and learning disabilities. Parents said they got information from pediatricians, family, friends and, increasingly, the Internet. 

About 23 percent of 376 parents surveyed had no concern about vaccines. But the others were concerned about such things as pain from shots, too many shots in one visit, too many vaccine before age two, unsafe ingredients, the level of safety testing and the low instance of some diseases. About two percent said they would get no vaccine for their children.

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