Each year in August, National Immunization Awareness Month provides an opportunity to highlight the importance of immunization across the lifespan.
Immunizations are one of the top 10 public health accomplishments of the 20th Century, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Although immunizations have significantly reduced the incidence of many serious infectious diseases, vaccination rates for some diseases are not meeting national public health goals.
Diseases that used to be common in this country such as polio, measles, whooping cough, mumps, and tetanus, can now be prevented by vaccination. These same germs still exist today, but because babies are protected by vaccines, we don’t see these diseases nearly as often. Thanks to vaccines, smallpox no longer exists outside the laboratory. Over the years, vaccines have prevented countless cases of disease and saved millions of lives.
Infants and Children: Newborn babies have some disease immunity because of protection they receive from their mother during pregnancy. This immunity, however, decreases after the first few months of life. Through vaccination, children can develop immunity without suffering from the actual diseases that vaccines prevent. Infants are particularly vulnerable to infectious disease, which is why it is critical to protect them through immunization. Immunizations help prevent the spread of disease and protect infants and toddlers against dangerous complications. Today we can protect children from 14 serious diseases through vaccinations.
Preteens and Teens: Immunizations are not just for children – they are needed throughout our lifetime. Preteens and teens need vaccines, too. There are four vaccines recommended for preteens and teens – these vaccines help protect your child, their friends, and family members. While your child should get a flu vaccine every year, three other vaccines should be given when your child is 11-12 years old. Teens may also need a booster vaccine that requires more than one dose to be fully protected. Vaccines recommended for preteens and teens include:
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine which can help protect both boys and girls from HPV infection and cancers caused by HPV
- Meningococcal vaccine (MCV4) that protects against some of the bacteria that can cause meningitis
- Tdap vaccine that protects against three serious diseases (tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough)
- Flu vaccine
Pregnant Women: Pregnant women should also be sure they are up-to-date on their vaccinations. If possible, make sure your immunizations are current before becoming pregnant. If you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, the specific vaccinations you need are determined by factors such as your age, lifestyle, medical conditions, and previous vaccinations. Some vaccines, such as measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) should be given a month or more before pregnancy. Vaccines like Tdap (to protect against whooping cough) should be given during pregnancy. Other vaccines, like the flu shot, can be given before or during pregnancy, depending on whether it is flu season or not.
Adults: Immunizations are important for all adults too. Every year thousands of adults in the U.S. still suffer serious illness, are hospitalized, and even die due to disease for which vaccines are available. Even if you were fully vaccinated as a child, the protection from some vaccines can wear off. You may also be at risk for other diseases due to your job, lifestyle, travel or health conditions. Vaccines not only protect you, but they also reduce your chance of spreading disease to vulnerable people who may not be able to be vaccinated due to their age or health condition. Infants, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems are especially vulnerable to infectious disease. Newborn babies are too young to be vaccinated against whooping cough and it can be very dangerous or even deadly for them. Anyone in contact with young babies, including parents, other family members and daycare providers, should be vaccinated with the Tdap vaccine to help protect them. Adults should also receive an annual flu vaccination.
Back-to-School Vaccinations: Preparing for school means gathering supplies and backpacks. It’s also a perfect time to make sure children are up-to-date on their vaccines. Maryland has implemented new immunization requirements for students entering kindergarten and 7th grade this coming school year. Students in kindergarten must now provide proof of two varicella (chicken pox) vaccines, and students entering 7th grade must now show proof of Tdap (whooping cough and tetanus) and meningitis (MCV4) vaccines. The law requires that students who do not provide proof of vaccination within 20 days of entrance be excluded from school. The Health Department will be holding in-school vaccine clinics at each of the four public middle schools, and a clinic at the health department on Monday, Sept. 8 from 8:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. For more information about back-to-school vaccine requirements in Maryland, visit the health department’s website.
To learn more about vaccination recommendations for people of all ages, visit the CDC website.