Did you know that in the United States

measles and diphtheria used to kill thousands of people a year? Or that in 1952, 20,000 people were crippled from polio? We might think we do not have to worry about these diseases today because, thanks to vaccines, we do not see them nearly as often as we used to. But they’re still around and they’re still dangerous.

Why are immunizations important?

Getting you and your family immunized is a very easy way to prevent getting some very serious diseases. About 128,000 people still get infected with hepatitis B virus each year. There’s no cure but a simple immunization can prevent it. By getting immunized your family fights disease in two ways. First, you protect yourselves, but also you protect others, because if you don’t have a disease you can’t spread it to someone else.

What is an immunization?

Sometimes immunizations are called vaccinations or just shots. And they help our body fight diseases.

What diseases can immunizations prevent?

The following ten dangerous diseases are prevented by routine shots given to children.

• Polio
• Measles
• Mumps
• Rubella (or German measles)
• Diphtheria
• Tetanus
• Whooping cough
• Meningitis
• Chicken pox
• Hepatitis B

There are other shots for diseases given to both adults and children if they are at risk of getting those diseases or they are likely to have serious complications if they get them. Examples of these include:

• Hepatitis A
• Flu
• Pneumonia

Without shots your children could get these diseases. And these diseases can also lead to pneumonia, brain amage, severe eye problems, paralysis, or other serious problems.

When should you or your family be immunized?

Immunizations for Children

Many "baby shots" protect your children for the rest of their lives. The following schedule is recommended:

• Children should get their first shots no later than 2 months of age, and
• Return for shots 4 or more times before they’re two years old.
• Some diseases need booster shots when your child is older.

Ask your doctor when you and your family need vaccines. And be sure to keep your immunization records in a safe place.

Immunizations for Adults
Adults need immunizations too, because each year thousands of adults die unnecessarily from flu, pneumonia and hepatitis B.

• You need tetanus and diphtheria shots repeated every 10 years.
• You may need shots when traveling to other countries.

How much do immunizations cost?
Shots are inexpensive but the diseases they prevent can be very expensive. While public health clinics may charge a small service fee, they may provide free vaccines. And ask your doctor about special programs that provide free shots to your children.

Most people are getting their families immunized so many serious diseases are at an all time low in the United States. But some of them are still common in other countries. If we stop vaccinating, they could easily return to the United States. Thanks to vaccinations smallpox, a deadly disease, has been wiped out and polio will soon be gone, too. With immunizations we not only can prevent some very serious diseases, but actually eliminate them from the world. It is easy, inexpensive, and it saves lives.

Getting you and your family immunized is an important way to prevent getting sick. But if you do get sick it is important to use antibiotics appropriately. Antibiotics are powerful drugs used to treat certain illnesses. But antibiotics do not cure everything, and unnecessary antibiotics can even be harmful.

Viruses versus bacteria
Basically, there are two main types of germs that cause most infections. These are viruses and bacteria.

Viruses		Bacteria
Viruses cause:		Bacteria cause:
All colds and flu Most coughs Most sore throats		Most ear infections Some sinus infections Strep throat Urinary tract infections
Antibiotics cannot kill viruses		Antibiotics do kill specific bacteria

Drug-resistant bacteria
Each time you take an antibiotic, bacteria are killed. Sometimes bacteria may be resistant or become resistant. Resistant bacteria do not respond to the antibiotics and continue to cause infection.

Each time you take an antibiotic unnecessarily or improperly, you increase your chance of developing drug-resistant bacteria. So it is really important to take antibiotics only when necessary. Because of these resistant bacteria, some diseases that used to be easy to treat are now becoming nearly impossible to treat.

What do you need to know about antibiotics?

• Remember that antibiotics don’t work against colds and flu, and that unnecessary antibiotics can be harmful.
• Talk to your health care provider about antibiotics and find out about the differences between viruses and bacteria –and when antibiotics should and shouldn’t be used.
• If you do get an antibiotic, be sure to take it exactly as prescribed–that may help decrease the development of resistant bacteria.
• Antibiotic resistance is particularly dangerous for children, but it can occur in adults as well.

One final note is that taking antibiotics appropriately and getting immunized will help prevent having to take more dangerous and more costly medications. If we use antibiotics appropriately we can avoid developing drug resistance. We just need to take our medicine exactly as it is prescribed and not expect to take antibiotics every time we’re sick.

Used with permission from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 18th, 2005 at 7:58 pm and is filed under Cold & Flu. Both comments and pings are currently closed.