Immunizations are an important part of keeping yourself and your family healthy.
Vaccination is considered one of the greatest public health achievements in history. Vaccines are responsible for eliminating Smallpox and drastically reducing other vaccine-preventable diseases, such as Polio, Measles, Rubella and Tetanus, just to name a few. This is truly a great accomplishment considering that many vaccine-preventable diseases are especially dangerous, if not deadly, to pregnant women, infants and children. Although vaccines have drastically reduced the occurrence of these dangerous diseases, this doesn’t mean that they’ve been eliminated. Vaccine-preventable diseases can return to our area when people stop vaccinating. In fact, in the past few years, the U.S. has experienced a resurgence of Whooping Cough (Pertussis) and Measles, primarily in people who have not been vaccinated.
Immunizations are recommended throughout the lifespan, from infancy through adulthood.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is a group of medical and public health experts that develops recommendations on how to use vaccines to control diseases in the United States. The recommendations stand as public health advice for reducing the incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases.
The ACIP has developed immunization recommendations for children, adolescents, and adults. Visit these links to learn more about the immunizations recommended for you and your family.
