With fall fast approaching, it’s the perfect time to gain and promote awareness in keeping your immunizations up-to-date. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases encourages the public to know that immunizations are not just for babies, young children, or adolescents, but also for teenagers and adults. It is important to maintain up-to-date immunizations for the protection against diseases. Now is the time to raise awareness by educating your loved ones and those around you to make immunizations a regular part of their preventative care. Be aware that most schools require students to have up-to-date immunizations. In some instances students may not be allowed to attend school if immunizations are not up-to-date. Below are some tips from healthfinder.gov to enhance your awareness about immunizations:
For Young Children:
• Children under age 6 need a series of shots to protect against measles, polio, chicken pox, and hepatitis.
For Pre-teens and teens:
• Pre-teens need shots at age 11 or 12 to help protect them from tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough, meningitis, and HPV (human papillomavirus).
• Teens need a booster shot at age 16 to help protect them from meningitis.
For Adults:
• All adults need a booster shot every 10 years to protect against tetanus and diphtheria.
• People age 65 or older need a one-time pneumonia shot.
• Talk to your doctor or nurse about which shots you and your family need.
Remember that awareness is the first step in educating yourself, your family, and others to live a healthier life. For more information on immunizations, visit the Missouri Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
