10 Reasons To Be Vaccinated

                                   

  Vaccine-preventable diseases haven’t gone away.
The viruses and bacteria that cause infectious diseases and deaths still exist and can be passed on to those who are not protected by vaccines. Adolescents who were vaccinated in early childhood, but whose immunity has waned, are common transmitters of the pertussis infection to infants. In recent years, the US has experienced the greatest number of pertussis (whooping cough) cases since 1959.
  Vaccines will help keep you healthy.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends vaccinations from birth to adolescence to adulthood to provide a lifetime of protection against many diseases and infections, such as meningitis, whooping cough, influenza, HPV (a virus that causes cancer), measles, mumps, rubella, and hepatitis A and B. Yet many adolescents are not vaccinated as recommended, leaving them needlessly vulnerable to disease, suffering, and death.
  Vaccines are as important to your overall health as diet and exercise.
Like eating healthy foods, being active, and getting regular checkups, vaccines play a vital role keeping all of us healthy, including pre-teens and teens. Vaccines are one of the safest and most convenient preventive care measures available. Talk to your doctor about recommended vaccines specifically for adolescents.
   Vaccination can mean the difference between life and death.
Vaccine-preventable infections can be deadly. For example, meningococcal infection can spread quickly, killing an otherwise healthy adolescent in 48 hours.
  Vaccines are safe and effective.
Vaccines are among the safest medical products available and can prevent the suffering and costs associated with infectious diseases. The potential risks associated with the diseases that vaccines prevent are much greater than the potential risks from the vaccines themselves.
  Vaccines won’t cause the disease they are designed to prevent.
People cannot “catch” the disease from the vaccine. Some vaccines contain “killed” virus, and it is impossible to get the disease from them. Others have live, but weakened, viruses designed to ensure that you cannot catch the disease.
  Young and healthy people can get very sick, too.
Infants and the elderly are usually at greater risk for serious infections and complications, but vaccine-preventable diseases can strike anyone, including healthy teens. Adolescence is a great time to check that your childhood immunizations are up to date and to find out about vaccines specifically recommended for adolescents.
  Vaccine-preventable diseases are expensive.
Diseases not only have a direct impact on individuals and their families, but also carry a high price tag for society as a whole, exceeding $10 billion per year. An average influenza illness can last up to 15 days, typically with five or six missed school days.
  When adolescents get sick, those around them, including friends, babies, adults, and grandparents can get sick, too. 
In general, vaccine-preventable diseases are more serious for the very young and the very old. By getting vaccinated, you are protecting yourself as well as your family and friends.
  Everyone deserves the chance to stay healthy. 
Getting all adolescent vaccines is a great start for a healthy adulthood. Given that vaccines are such a safe and easy way to prevent disease, why not take full advantage of them?

                       

 

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