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National Immunization Awareness Month is a reminder that we all need vaccines right from the start and throughout our lives.
Immunization gives parents the safe, proven power to protect their children from 14 serious and potentially deadly diseases before they turn 2 years old. To celebrate the importance of immunizations for a healthy start and throughout our lives – and to make sure children are protected with all the vaccines they need – CarolinaEast Pediatrics is joining with partners nationwide in recognizing August as National Immunization Awareness Month. The theme for this week is “A Healthy Start” and will focus specifically on protecting babies from birth through age 2 though immunization.
Children who don’t receive recommended vaccines are at risk of getting the disease or illness, and of having a severe case. Every dose of every vaccine is important to protect your child and others in the community from infectious diseases. Talk to your doctor or other health care professional to make sure your child is up to date on all the vaccines he or she needs.
Today’s childhood vaccines protect against serious and potentially life-threatening diseases, including polio, measles, whooping cough and chickenpox. There are many important reasons to make sure your child is vaccinated:
When children are not vaccinated, they are at increased risk and can spread diseases to others in their family and community – including babies who are too young to be fully vaccinated, and people with weakened immune systems due to cancer and other health conditions.
Parents can find out more about the recommended immunization schedule at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents.
National Immunization Awareness Month is a reminder that we all need vaccines throughout our lives.
You want to do what is best for your children. You know about the importance of car seats, baby gates and other ways to keep them safe. But did you know that one of the best ways to protect your children is to make sure they have all of their vaccinations?
Immunizations can save your child’s life. Because of advances in medical science, your child can be protected against more diseases than ever before. Some diseases that once injured or killed thousands of children are no longer common in the United States – primarily due to safe and effective vaccines. Polio is one example of the great impact that vaccines had in the United States. Polio was once America’s most feared disease, causing death and paralysis across the country but today, thanks to vaccination, there are no reports of polio in the United States.
Vaccination is very safe and effective. Vaccines are only given to children after a long and careful review by scientists, doctors, and health care professionals. Vaccines will involve some discomfort and may cause pain, redness, or tenderness at the site of injection, but this is minimal compared to the pain, discomfort, and trauma of the diseases these vaccines prevent. Serious side effects following vaccination, such as severe allergic reaction, are very rare. The disease-prevention benefits of getting vaccines are much greater than the possible side effects for almost all children.
Immunization protects others you care about. Children in the United States still get vaccine-preventable diseases. In fact, we have seen a resurgence of measles and whooping cough (pertussis) over the past few years. For example, more than 28,000 cases of whooping cough were reported in the United States in 2014. From 2000 through 2014, there were 277 deaths from whooping cough reported in the United States. Almost all of the deaths were babies younger than 3 months of age, who are too young to be protected against whooping cough by getting the shots.
Unfortunately, some babies are too young to be completely vaccinated and some people may not be able to receive certain vaccinations due to severe allergies, weakened immune systems from conditions like leukemia, or other reasons. To help keep them safe, it is important that you and your children who are able to get vaccinated are fully immunized. This not only protects your family, but also helps prevent the spread of these diseases to your friends and loved ones.
Immunizations can save your family time and money. A child with a vaccine-preventable disease can be denied attendance at schools or child care facilities. Some vaccine-preventable diseases can result in prolonged disabilities and can take a financial toll because of lost time at work and medical bills. In contrast, getting vaccinated against these diseases is a good investment and usually covered by insurance or the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, which is a federally funded program that provides vaccines at no cost to children from low-income families.
To find out more about the VFC program, visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/ or ask your child’s CarolinaEast pediatrician.
Immunization protects future generations. Vaccines have reduced and, in some cases, eliminated many diseases that killed or severely disabled people just a few generations ago. For example, smallpox vaccination eradicated that disease worldwide. Your children don’t have to get smallpox shots anymore because the disease no longer exists. By vaccinating children against rubella (German measles), the risk that pregnant women will pass this virus on to their fetus or newborn has been dramatically decreased, and birth defects associated with that virus are rarely seen in the United States. If we continue vaccinating now, and vaccinating completely, parents in the future may be able to trust that some diseases of today will no longer be around to harm their children in the future.
For more information about the importance of infant immunization, visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines.
National Immunization Awareness Month is a reminder that we all need vaccines throughout our lives.
During pregnancy, you are often thinking about baby names, nursery colors, and prenatal vitamins, but you should also be thinking about vaccines. Vaccines during pregnancy not only protect you against diseases, but you can also begin to pass some protection to your baby that’ll last the first few months of life. The two vaccines that are routinely recommended by doctors and midwives during your pregnancy are the pertussis or whooping cough vaccine (Tdap) and the flu vaccine.
To celebrate the importance of immunizations for a healthy start and throughout our lives – and to make sure everyone is protected with all the vaccines they need – CarolinaEast Pediatrics is joining with partners nationwide in recognizing August as National Immunization Awareness Month.
Getting a flu shot is the best way to protect a pregnant woman from the flu and prevent serious flu-related problems, such as premature labor and delivery. And when you get a whooping vaccine, or Tdap, during each pregnancy, you’ll pass some antibodies that will help protect your baby for the first months of life. That’s when babies are most vulnerable to the devastating complications associated with whooping cough. I encourage pregnant women to talk to their ob-gyns or midwives about these important vaccines.
You can find out more about the vaccines recommended during pregnancy at www.cdc.gov/vaccines or by talking to your doctor or midwife, or calling your local health department.
National Immunization Awareness Month is a reminder that we all need vaccines throughout our lives.
From the moment you found out you were pregnant, you started protecting your baby. You might have changed the way you eat, started taking a prenatal vitamin, and researching the kind of car seat you’ll buy. But did you know that one of the best ways to start protecting your children against serious diseases is by making sure you get the whooping cough (Tdap) and flu vaccines while you are pregnant?
The vaccines you get during your pregnancy will provide your baby with some disease protection (immunity) that will last the first months of life. By getting vaccinated during your pregnancy, your baby may benefit from passive antibody transfer that will help protect against diseases. This early protection is critical for diseases like the flu and whooping cough because infants in the first several months of life are at the greatest risk of severe illness from these diseases. However, they are too young to be vaccinated themselves.
Passing maternal antibodies on to them is the only way to help directly protect them. Passing the protection to your newborn isn’t the only reason you should get vaccinated. Whooping cough and flu vaccines are also important for you. In cases when doctors are able to determine who spread whooping cough to an infant, the mother was often the source. Once you have protection by getting the Tdap vaccine, you are less likely to give whooping cough to your newborn while caring for him.
When it comes to flu, even if you are generally healthy, changes in immune, heart, and lung functions during pregnancy make you more likely to have a severe case of the flu if you catch it. If you catch the flu when you are pregnant, you have a higher chance of experiencing pregnancy complications, such as premature labor and delivery. Getting a flu shot will help protect you and your baby while you are pregnant.
You can also rest assured that these vaccines are very safe for you and your baby. Millions of pregnant women have safely received flu shots for many years, and the CDC continues to gather data showing that the flu shot is safe and effective during pregnancy. The whooping cough vaccine is also very safe for you and your unborn baby. Doctors and midwives who specialize in caring for pregnant women agree that the whooping cough vaccine is important to get during the third trimester of each pregnancy. Getting the vaccine during your pregnancy will not put you at increased risk for pregnancy complications.
You can get the whooping cough and flu vaccine at the same time during your pregnancy. You can also get them at different visits. If you are pregnant during flu season, you should get the flu vaccine as early as possible. You should get your whooping cough vaccine between your 27th and 36th week of pregnancy, but you can get a flu shot during any trimester.
If you want to learn more about pregnancy and vaccines, talk to you ob-gyn or midwife and visit http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/adults/rec-vac/pregnant.html.
National Immunization Awareness Month is a reminder that we all need vaccines throughout our lives.
Back-to-school season is here. It's time for parents to gather school supplies and back packs. It's also the perfect time to make sure your children are up to date on their vaccines. To celebrate the importance of immunizations for people of all ages – and make sure adolescents are protected with all the vaccines they need.
CarolinaEast Pediatrics is joining with partners nationwide in recognizing August as National Immunization Awareness Month.
Adolescent vaccines protect against serious and potentially life-threatening diseases, including meningitis, septicemia and cancers caused by HPV. When children are not vaccinated, they are at increased risk for diseases and can also spread diseases to others in their classrooms and community – including babies who are too young to be fully vaccinated, and people with weakened immune systems due to cancer or other health conditions.
Preteens and teens need Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) vaccine, quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine, and HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine when they are 11 to 12. In addition, yearly flu vaccines are recommended for everyone 6 months or older—not just preteens and teens, but for their parents too.
Parents can find out more about the recommended immunization schedule at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/teens
National Immunization Awareness Month is a reminder that we all need vaccines throughout our lives.
HPV vaccination is recommended for preteen girls and boys at age 11 to 12. If your son or daughter hasn't started or finished the HPV vaccine series yet, it's not too late! Now is a good time to ask their doctor or nurse about vaccines for your preteens and teens.
HPV is short for human papilloma virus. In the U.S. each year, there are about 17,600 women and 9,300 men affected by HPV cancers. In both women and men, HPV can cause anal cancer and mouth/throat (oropharyngeal) cancer. It can also cause cancers of the cervix, vulva and vagina in women, and cancer of the penis in men. Most of the HPV infections that cause these cancers could be prevented with vaccination.
The HPV vaccine has a very good safety record. More than 67 million doses have been distributed from when the vaccine was introduced in 2006 through March 2014, and no serious safety concerns have been linked to HPV vaccination. Possible side effects after HPV vaccination are generally mild and go away quickly, such as pain, redness, or swelling in the arm where the shot was given.
Jacquelyn, a real-life mother of two and cervical cancer survivor, shares her story: When I got a Pap test after my son was born, I found out I had cancer and needed a total hysterectomy.
My husband and I have been together for 15 years, and we were planning to have more children. We are so grateful for our two wonderful children, but we were hoping for more – which is not going to happen now.
Although they caught the cancer early, I still have medical issues, taking time away from my family, my friends and my job.
Worse, every time the doctor calls, I hold my breath until I get the results. Cancer is always in the back of my mind.
Source:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
