Immunizations and Vaccinations
Immunizations
for Kids
Immunizations for
Teens
Immunizations
for Adults
Immunizations
for Special Situations (i.e. Travel)
Why Vaccinate?
Vaccines are one of the most important ways to protect
yourself and your family against some infectious diseases. They
also create immunity, a defense against future infection. Vaccines
are important in the defense against diseases , like polio, measles,
mumps, rubella, whooping cough, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and
more.
But vaccines don't just help you. If you're not
vaccinated, you could make other sick, too.
Compare the risks
Although vaccines are safe, there are some possible
risks. Most side effects from vaccines are mild. You may feel
sore or have swelling where you got the shot, or you may get a
mild fever. Serious side effects are rare.
Avoiding vaccines is not a risk-free decision. When
you compare the risks of a vaccine with the risks of the disease
it prevents, vaccines are safer.
How Vaccines Work
Your immune system defends you from bacteria, viruses,
or other substance that can make you sick. Vaccines use your body's
immune system to protect you. Here's how:
-
When a foreign organism first enters your body,
your immune system makes antibodies to fight it.
-
These organisms have a head start. By the time
your body has made enough antibodies to fight the "invaders,"
you may have already gotten sick from the disease they produce.
-
Vaccines contain modified or inactivated organisms
that are dead or weakened, so that they won't make you ill from
the disease they produce. When you get a vaccine, your immune
system still reacts as though it is being invaded. Vaccines
make the immune system produce antibodies.
-
So, in the future, if the same foreign organisms,
which you were vaccinated for, infect you again, your immune
system is prepared to fight them off.
In some cases, the protection from vaccines can wear off over
time. That's why you need booster shots for some vaccines. The
boosters strengthen your immune response.
Combination Vaccines
Sometimes vaccines for different diseases are given together
in one shot. These are called combination vaccines. They work
the same way as the individual vaccines. Combination vaccines
include:
-
DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough)
-
MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella)
-
Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis
B, and polio
-
Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, and Hib
(Haemophilus influenza type b)
-
Hepatitis A and hepatitis B
-
Hib and hepatitis B
* Not all combination vaccines are approved for all age groups.
Benefits of combination vaccines
Combination vaccines are good news for kids and parents. They
work just as well as individual vaccine shots. And combination
vaccines reduce the number of shots a person needs. That may reduce
the pain and discomfort of having multiple shots.
Also when combination vaccines are used, it may mean fewer medical
appointments. That can mean less chances to skip them - and a
vaccination. Missed vaccinations put you, and the people around
you, at risk.
Who Shouldn't Get Vaccines?
There are some cases in which people should not get vaccines:
-
Sometimes people, who have more than a mild
illness, should not get a vaccine until they're feeling better.
-
People, who have had a severe, life-threatening
reaction to a vaccine, should not get the same shot again.
-
People with the following conditions should
check with their doctor before getting the MMR, chickenpox,
yellow fever, and live flu vaccinations:
- Those who have had a recent blood transfusion or treatment
with immune (gamma) globulin
- Those with long-term illnesses
- Those with a weakened or suppressed immune system
- Pregnant women
As you can see, there's a lot to consider. Talk to your doctor
and he or she will help you decide what you need to protect your
health.
Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Vaccines can help prevent a long list of diseases, including:
- Chickenpox (varicella)
- Cholera
- diphtheria
- Flu (influenza)
- German measles (rubella)
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Hib (haemophilus influenza, type b)
- Pneumococcal disease (streptococcus pneumonia)
- Measles
- Meningococcal disease
- Mumps
- Polio
- Rabies
- Smallpox
- Typhoid
- Lockjaw (tetanus)
- Whooping cough (pertussis)
- Yellow fever
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