National Infant Immunization Awareness Week

April 18-22, 2016 is National Infant Immunization Awareness Week

The Cuyahoga County Board of Health hopes you will join our efforts to raise vaccine rates by offering vaccines to children 5 years old and younger.

Where:               Cuyahoga County Board of Health – Immunization Clinic

                             5550 Venture Dr. – Parma, OH  44130

                             216-201-2041

                            *We also offer services in Lyndhurst, Lakewood, & Westlake

 When:                 April 18 through April 22, 2016

 A Healthy Start: Reasons to Vaccinate Your Child

Parents want the best for their children.  We put them in car seats, place them on their backs for safe sleep, use baby gates, and find other ways to protect them.  So why don’t parents bring their children in to be vaccinated?

Perhaps medical science has done such a good job that young parents don’t remember the illnesses that our grandparents do.  Smallpox is no longer present in the world, and we no longer see polio in the United States but it still exists in other countries.  There have been outbreaks of Pertussis, or whooping cough, that is often called the 100 day cough.  This illness can be dangerous for infants and young children.   New cases of measles are occurring in the United States daily.  In addition, because we live in a global society vaccine preventable diseases may spread quickly through international travel.

Immunizations protect children against 14 serious and deadly diseases before they turn 2 years old. Children who don’t receive vaccines are at risk of getting the disease or illness, and of having severe complications.  By following the schedule for vaccines and getting all the recommended doses, your child and others in the community will be protected against infectious diseases that are threats today. Talk to your health professional to make sure that your child is up to date on all of the vaccines he or she needs.

There are five important reasons to vaccinate:

  • Immunizations can save your child’s life

  • Vaccination is safe and effective

  • Immunizations protect others you care about and individuals that are immunosuppressed and can’t receive vaccines

  • Immunizations can save your family time and money

  • Immunization protects future generations

The Federal government has a program called Vaccines for Children that provide vaccines to children 18 and under. For more information on recommended immunization schedule, go to www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/index.html or www.ccbh.net.  Call the immunization clinic at Cuyahoga County Board of Health, Monday-Friday to schedule an immunization appointment – 216-201-2041

Eileen Nageotte-Wilk

Public Health Nurse at Cuyahoga County Board of Health/Immunization Action Plan Program

Read More on Health
Volume 7, Issue 4, Posted 6:02 PM, 04.06.2016