Navigating the Importance and Impact of Immunizations for Every Generation
By Southcentral Foundation Public Relations and Corporate Communications
Customer-owners of all ages are encouraged to connect with their primary care teams to ensure their immunizations are up to date.
It is normal to worry about those we love. When it comes to health and wellness, immunizations are available to help ease concerns of serious illness. Immunizations have revolutionized preventative care and are beneficial to people of all ages. Knowing the importance of immunizations is essential, and understanding how they work can help you make decisions about your family’s health care.
So, how do immunizations work? When your body is infected with a virus or bacteria, your immune system sends white blood cells to fight the infection. Once your body learns how to fight a particular illness, it retains antibodies that protect it from future exposures to the same or similar viruses and bacteria. That is why immunizations are so important — they mimic an infection, which lets your body practice its defense.
This is especially valuable for infants and children, who are being newly exposed to viruses and bacteria every day. Parents or guardians of infants, toddlers, and school-age children are strongly encouraged to vaccinate their children. Schools and daycare facilities have vaccination requirements because any group setting inherently increases the risk of infection. Visit the Alaska Department of Health Division of Public Health to review current child care and school immunization requirements.
When making health care decisions, it is natural to have questions. In fact, primary care providers at Southcentral Foundation welcome discussions about decisions that affect your family’s health. Your primary care team is available to address any reservations or concerns you may have, identify what immunizations are best for your family, and assist with special immunizations for life events, jobs, or travel.
“I always appreciate it when customer-owners have detailed questions about the need and timing of their children’s immunizations. In this day and age of free-flowing information, it is imperative that families know the what and the why of their health care,” SCF Medical Director Dr. Shahid A. Zaidi shared.
Some immunizations last a lifetime, others, such as the flu and Tdap vaccines are recommended to be updated after a certain period. Immunizations may be recommended for adults based on completion of childhood immunizations, age, life events, or health conditions. It is not too late to catch up on many vaccines.
“As we age, our bodies change, our habits change, and the types of illnesses that are most likely to affect us change, as well. That’s why it is important to continue to update our immunizations throughout our lives, and it is especially important as we enter those later decades,” said SCF Medical Director Dr. Kenneth Norris.
Staying up to date on immunizations is something everyone can do to help build a healthier future. When one person is immunized, children, parents, and grandparents are all safer from life-threatening diseases. Connect with your primary care team to ensure your vaccines are up to date. The first step could be as simple as reaching out through MyHealth to ask questions, or as easy as scheduling an appointment to discuss immunizations in person. Scheduling an appointment today could save a life.
