National Immunization Awareness Month: How Vaccination Protects You and Others
Each year in August, health organizations in the United States recognize National Immunization Awareness Month. It’s a time to spread awareness about the importance of staying up to date on immunizations from childhood through adulthood.
Dr. John Magnuson is one of Ozark Community Hospital’s (OCH) pediatricians, located at the OCH clinic in Sparta, Missouri. Dr. Magnuson shares how vaccines can protect children, and in turn entire populations from dangerous diseases.
A Disease of the Past
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the worst recorded polio outbreak in the United States happened in 1952. Over 3000 people were killed, many of whom were children. Some of those who survived the virus lived with lifelong complications.
“The highly contagious polio virus would cause 1 in 200 people to develop permanent paralysis,” Dr. Magnuson said. “Of those, 5 to 10% of the cases would be fatal.”
Developing a way to prevent polio and the deaths it caused was important to medical researchers. In the early 1950s, Dr. Jonas Salk developed an experimental killed-virus vaccine, which he tested on himself and his family in 1953. That test was successful, and Dr. Salk went on to test the vaccine on 1.6 million children in Canada, Finland, and the United States (WHO).
“After the introduction of the polio vaccine, North America was deemed polio free in 1994,” Dr. Magnuson said.
Recommended Vaccines: Infants
Thanks to vaccines, many viruses that once ravaged communities, such as polio, are now preventable. In the United States, there are two viruses that we protect newborns from at birth:
- Hepatitis B vaccine
- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine
“Prior to universal infant immunization, 24,000 children in the U.S. each year were infected with Hepatitis B, or HBV,” Dr. Magnuson said. “Infants infected with HBV had a 90% chance of progression to cirrhosis or liver cancer.”
Prior to the update in 1991 that recommended the Hepatitis B vaccine for infants, only high-risk groups such as children born to mothers carrying the virus were vaccinated.
“Since 1991, HBV infections in children have been virtually eliminated,” Dr. Magnuson said. “This is the power of science and trust in your healthcare providers.”
Recommended Vaccines: Students
Public schools in the United States require children to be up to date on vaccinations to keep preventable diseases from spreading rampantly inside classrooms.
Missouri School Vaccine Requirements:
- Kindergarteners: 4 DTaP, 3-4 Polio, 2 MMR, 3 Hep B, and 2 Varicella doses.
- 8th Graders: 1 Tdap booster and 1 MCV4 dose.
- 12th Graders: 1 MCV4 booster.
Arkansas School Vaccine Requirements:
- Kindergarteners: 4 DTaP, 3 Polio, 2 MMR, 3 Hep B, 2 Varicella, and 1 Hep A dose.
- 1st Graders: 2nd Hep A dose.
- 7th Graders: 1 Tdap booster and 1 MCV4 dose.
- Age 16+: 1 MCV4 booster.
Recommended Vaccines: Adults
Because some vaccines can lose effectiveness over time, adults need to get updated vaccines, too. The CDC recommends adults stay up to date on these routine vaccines:
- COVID-19 vaccine
- Flu vaccine
- Tdap vaccine (tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough) or Td vaccine (tetanus, diphtheria)
Depending on your age, life events, job, travel, or health conditions, other vaccines may be recommended to you by your healthcare provider. The best way to know what vaccines you need is by speaking with your primary care physician.
How Safe Are Vaccines?
Vaccines are highly researched and regulated. Every ingredient is tested to ensure it won’t cause complications in the general population. According to the CDC, the active ingredient in all vaccines is an antigen. The antigen can be any substance that causes the immune system to produce antibodies, such as a weakened or killed bacteria or virus, bits of the surface of a bacteria or virus’s genetic material, or a bacterial toxin treated to make it non-toxic.
Vaccines imitate an infection to encourage the body to produce immune cells and antibodies that attack viruses and bacteria that don’t belong. Think of the vaccine as a practice test for your body. You take the practice test so when it’s time for the real test, you’re ready to ace it. After being vaccinated, your body is prepared to fight the virus or bacteria it was exposed to. You still might get infected after being vaccinated, but you’re far less likely to become seriously ill or die from that illness.
Some people experience side effects from the immune response a vaccine causes, including tiredness and discomfort. Those side effects typically only last a couple of days, while the protection the vaccine provides can last years or even a lifetime.
The Next Step
Now that you have a better understanding of the importance of vaccines to public health and how they work on a biological level, it’s time to schedule an appointment to make sure you’re up to date.
Ozarks Community Hospital offers vaccinations at its hospital in Gravette, Arkansas, as well as at its clinics across northwest Arkansas and southwest Missouri. To schedule an appointment at a clinic near you, visit ochonline.net/schedule-appointment/.