Immunization Information
Immunization has been called the most important public health intervention in history, after safe drinking water. It has saved millions of lives over the years and prevented hundreds of millions of cases of disease.
None of us wants to see our children and our loved ones get sick. Getting immunized can protect you and your children from a number of very serious diseases. By getting yourself and your children immunized, you…
- Can also protect their friends, schoolmates, and others from those same diseases. Some children can’t get certain vaccines for medical reasons, or some children are not able to respond to certain vaccines. For these children, the immunity of people around them is their only protection.
- Can help protect your grandchildren, their grandchildren, and future generations from diseases. If enough parents fail to get their children immunized, diseases that had been under control can come back to cause epidemics. This has happened in several countries.
- Could, ultimately, even help rid the world of diseases that have been crippling and killing children for centuries. Immunization allowed us eradicate smallpox. Today polio is nearly gone, and in the future measles and other diseases will follow.
Infant
Infants and young children are particularly vulnerable to many serious illnesses and diseases. Immunizations are the best way for parents to protect the health of their children for a lifetime.
Pre-teen and Teen
It is important for pre-teens and teens to continue getting regular check-ups, that include all recommended immunizations. Certain immunizations are recommended specifically for pre-teens at the 11-12 year old check-up, including the tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) booster, the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine series, and the Meningococcal vaccine. Pre-teens and Teens also need a yearly influenza (flu) vaccine and may need to catch-up on any childhood immunizations they missed.
Thank you to the Nursing@Simmons FNP Program for sharing their infographic!
Adults
Immunizations are not just for children!
Approximately 50,000 adults die each year from vaccine-preventable diseases in the U.S. Pneumonia and influenza are the fifth leading cause of death in older adults in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1.25 million people are infected with the hepatitis B virus, which attacks the liver and can cause liver cancer, liver failure, and death. This section provides resources and accurate information on adult immunizations.
Pregnant mothers
Resources that help keep a pregnant woman and her growing family healthy.
Healthcare workers
It takes a coordinated effort by healthcare professionals to deliver and administer vaccines. PAIC is dedicated to providing accurate information and current resources them the physicians, nurses, medical assistants, and clerical staff who work in immunization.
Immigration
Information on the State Refugee Health Assessment Program.
More Information
Georgetown Nursing: Answering Common Questions about Herd Immunity and Vaccination