Better Health. No Hassles. Get Immunized! National Immunization Month

Better Health. No Hassles. 2 Disease Prevention – Protect Yourself & Those Around You Disease prevention is the key to public health. It is always better to prevent a disease than to treat it Vaccines prevent disease in the people who receive them and protect those who come into contact with unvaccinated individuals Vaccines help prevent infectious diseases and save lives.

Better Health. No Hassles. 3 Vaccines Vaccines are responsible for the control of many infectious diseases that were once common in this country, including: – Polio – Measles – Diphtheria – Pertussis (whooping cough). Currently is an epidemic in California!! – Rubella (German measles) – Mumps – Tetanus – Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib).

Better Health. No Hassles. 4 Why are Childhood Vaccines so Important Newborn babies are immune to many diseases because they have antibodies they got from their mothers. However, this immunity lasts only 5-6 months. This is why many babies start getting their first ear infection at around 5-6 months old. If a child is not vaccinated and is exposed to a disease germ, the child’s immune system may not be strong enough to fight the disease. Before vaccines, many children died from diseases that can now be easily prevented through vaccination, such as whooping cough, measles, tetanus and polio. Those same germs exist today, but babies are now protected by vaccines, so we do not see these diseases as often.

Better Health. No Hassles. How Vaccines Prevent Disease

Better Health. No Hassles. Influenza (flu shot): yearly. Hepatitis B: 3 0, 1 & 6 months. Hepatitis A: 2 doses 6 months apart. Tetanus-diphtheria (Td): booster shot every 10 yrs. Varicella (chicken pox): 2 doses 4-8 wks apart. HPV: 3 0, 2 & 6 months (for women & only through age 26). Meningococcal (MCV4), Polio, shingles, MMR: for select groups of adults only. *Please see the accompanying immunization schedule for details Immunization Schedule for Adults

Better Health. No Hassles. Four of the Vaccines Recommended by the CDC’s ACIP for Pre-teens and Teens Human Papillomavirus (HPV) – Certain types of HPV are the most common cause of cervical cancer and genital warts – 11- to 12-year-old females should be vaccinated routinely – 13- to 26-year-old females should be vaccinated if not previously vaccinated Tetanus/Diphtheria/Pertussis – Whooping cough causes severe coughing fits and is highly contagious – 11- to 12-year-olds should be vaccinated if they completed the recommended childhood DTP/DTaP vaccination series – 11- to 18-year-olds should be vaccinated if they completed the recommended childhood DTP/DTaP vaccination series, or if they previously received only tetanus and diphtheria toxoids vaccine (Td) Meningococcal – The disease can become deadly in 48 hours or less. – 11- to 12-year-olds should be vaccinated routinely – 13- to 18-year-olds should be vaccinated if not previously A second dose of Varicella – The risk of problems caused by chickenpox increases with age – 7- to 18-year-olds should receive their 2nd dose if they did not previously receive it. – 7 4- to 6-year-olds should be vaccinated routinely with a 2nd dose

Better Health. No Hassles. Pertussis (whooping cough) Immunization for whooping cough – A full course of "triple antigen" or "DTaP (Diphtheria, Tetanus, acellular Pertussis)" vaccine provides immunity against the disease. Children need four doses of DTaP by 15 monthsDTaP – 2 months of age – 4 months – 6 months – 15 months A Tdap booster at age 11 or 12Tdap Adults need a booster every 10 years after the primary series has been completed. For adults, age 18–64 years old, Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) vaccine is recommended *Now an EPIDEMIC IN CALIFORNIA!

Better Health. No Hassles. Pertussis (whopping cough) General Prevention Measures – Cover coughs and sneezes. – Wash your hands frequently. – Keep your distance from people who are obviously sick. – All travelers should be up to date with their Pertussis vaccination, regardless of destination. – Anyone in close contact with young infants should consider a booster. See your doctor for an individual recommendation *Now an EPIDEMIC IN CALIFORNIA!

Better Health. No Hassles. Pertussis PERTUSSIS (Whooping Cough) is now an EPIDEMIC IN CALIFORNIA! Please get everyone in your family immunized! Please feel free to call / me with any questions at 714/ /