Vaccinations

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1. Influenza (Flu) Vaccine

2. Tdap (Tetanus, Diptheria, Pertussis)

3. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination

4. Shingles (Herpes Zoster) Vaccination

5. Polio Vaccination

The flu is a contagious disease that spreads around the United States around the fall (Oct-May) every year. Anyone can get the flu, but it is more dangerous for some people. It is recommended to get the vaccination yearly. 

Pertussis (Whooping Cough) is a contagious disease that causes severe coughing and difficulty breathing.  Babies younger than 3 months have the highest risk of severe illness from pertussis.

Getting your Tdap shot during pregnancy is the most important step in protecting yourself and your baby against pertussis. It is also important that all family members and caregivers are up to date with their vaccines.  This makes a safety “cocoon” of vaccinated caregivers around your baby.  

One way to protect against HPV infection is by getting the HPV vaccine. The vaccine (Gardasil) is safe and protects against the common HPV types that cause of genital warts and cancer. 

Vaccination works best when it is done before a person is sexually active and exposed to HPV. It can be given starting at age 9 and through age 26.

Shingles is a painful rash that typically develops on one side of the body. The rash consists of painful blisters that scab over in 7 to 10 days and clears up within 2 to 4 weeks. 

Shingles vaccination is the only way to protect against shingles and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), the most common complication from shingles. The CDC recommends that adults 50 years and older get two doses (2-6 months apart) of the shingles vaccine called Shingrix. Adults 19 years and older who have weakened immune systems should also get two doses of Shingrix.

Polio, or poliomyelitis, is caused by the poliovirus. The virus spreads from person to person and can infect a person’s spinal cord, causing paralysis (can’t move parts of the body) and can potentially be deadly. 

The CDC recommends that children get four doses of the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV). They should get one dose at each of the following ages: 2 months old, 4 months old, 6 through 18 months old, and 4 through 6 years old. Unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated adults who are at increased risk of exposure to poliovirus should receive and complete their polio vaccination series with IPV.