There are many different types of vaccines that work in different ways to provide protection. Vaccines use a small amount of antigen, which is the substance that causes the body to make an immune response against that substance. The body starts remembering a few weeks later how to fight that virus if exposed to it.
Vaccines
are held to very high safety standards and are tested, evaluated and monitored.
They only use the ingredients they need to be as safe and effective as possible
to:
- Provide necessary immunity
- Keep the vaccine safe and long lasting
- Make the vaccine more efficient
Childhood vaccination is important to provide immunity before
children are exposed to life-threatening diseases. Getting vaccinations
“on-time” with the schedule is important. Children who are not vaccinated on
the schedule are not only at risk of becoming ill themselves but can spread the
illness to others such as newborns
too young for vaccines, people who have a weakened immune system and other unvaccinated
children and adults.
Adults
need to keep their vaccinations up to date because immunity from childhood
vaccination can wear off or wane over the years. They may also need other
vaccinations based on their age, lifestyle, job, travel habits and health
conditions. There are a few vaccinations that are only recommended for older
adults such as hepatitis B, shingles and the pneumococcal conjugate vaccines
for PCV15 and PCV 20.
The
various United States immunization schedules for children, adolescents and
adults are written based on age, if catch-up is needed, medical conditions and
other indications, special situations and contraindication and precautions to
vaccination. The current 2023 schedules can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/index.html.
Unfortunately, health
inequities, disparities and barriers to care exist in our country:
- Linked to less overall education, lack of health information on immunizations, low health literacy
- Vaccines and boosters may not be available at convenient locations or at different times of the day, evening or weekends
- Parents may avoid vaccinating their children due to culture, religion, social, philosophical, medical reasons and fear
- Racial and ethnic minorities have lower rates of vaccination for children and adults
- People with a low income may not have access to providers, are not always able to take time off from work, have a lack of or inadequate health insurance and may have transportation issues
- Socioeconomic factors heavily influence vaccination rates as racial and ethnic minorities with a higher income have similar vaccination rates to Whites
- Vaccine confidence needs to be built through trusted people such as faith and community leaders and in multiple languages
- At-risk children include those who:
- Are unable to visit a pediatrician on a regular basis (homeless, live in a rural area, have parents who don’t take them to the doctor unless ill)
- Have a historical disadvantage (racial and ethnic minorities or households with lower incomes)
- Have developmental disabilities (cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability)
- Have special healthcare needs (lung, heart or kidney disease, immune system problems, malignancy, diabetes, etc.)
- Live in a congregate setting (group home, incarcerated)
- Are non-English speakers, immigrants or those with an undocumented status
With
August being Immunization Awareness Month, take this as an opportunity to check
the immunization schedules and see if you and your family are up to date. Many
families are still behind from the pandemic. Get those kiddos caught up with
their vaccines before the new school year starts.
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niam/index.html
