It’s an uncertain and stressful time for parents, especially as we try to protect our kids’ health at the start of a schoolyear like we’ve never experienced before. But there’s one thing that we can control to protect them, and that’s immunization. At a time when nothing feels normal, immunizations really are our children’s best shot for good health.
August is National Immunization Awareness Month. Vaccination gives you the power to protect your children against serious and preventable diseases. Vaccines work with your child’s natural defenses to help them safely develop protection from diseases.
Childhood vaccines protect against 16 serious diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, measles, mumps, rubella, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), hepatitis B, varicella (chickenpox) and pneumococcal disease. And that, in turn, protects all of our kids in the classroom, child care centers and communities. Taking control of these important protections is more important than ever as COVID-19 remains active in New Jersey and across the United States.
Some diseases are no longer common in this country because of vaccination. However, if we stopped vaccinating, the few cases we have in the United States could very quickly become tens or hundreds of thousands of cases. The 2019 measles outbreaks, which struck New Jersey and other parts of the country, are a key reminder of how quickly diseases can spread when children aren’t vaccinated.
It’s not just babies and young children that need vaccines. Preteens and teens need four vaccines to protect against serious diseases: meningococcal conjugate vaccine to protect against meningitis and bloodstream infections; HPV vaccine to protect against cancers caused by HPV; Tdap vaccine to protect against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough; and a yearly flu vaccine to protect against seasonal flu.
Another way we all can protect our families is to get another critical vaccination – the annual flu shot. That’s especially true for pregnant women and senior citizens. A 2018 study showed that getting the annual shot reduced a pregnant woman’s risk of being hospitalized with flu by an average of 40 percent. Flu can be more serious for pregnant women. Changes in the immune system, heart and lungs during pregnancy make pregnant women more prone to severe illness from flu. Risk of premature labor and delivery also may be increased. It is very important for pregnant women to get the flu shot.
Senior citizens – our parents – also need a flu shot, along with the pneumococcal vaccine. Those age 65 or older are at greatest risk of serious flu complications. Each year, about 70 to 85 percent of seasonal flu-related deaths in the United States occur among people 65 years and older. And senior citizens also account for between 50 to 70 percent of flu-related hospitalizations in a typical flu season.
We all know this year is anything but typical. But we can take back some control of our health by making sure everyone in our family has the vaccinations they need. Talk to your doctor, nurse or health clinic staff about immunization. They’re there to answer your questions.
Sandy Cayo, RN, DNP, is a family practice nurse practitioner and vice president of clinical performance and transformation at the New Jersey Hospital Association.
