Making the Shots

A Message from Dr. Stephen Kindred – Assistant Vice President, Corporate Medical

August is National Immunization Awareness Month. Although not sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the CDC acknowledges the importance of this observance as it spotlights the need for improving national vaccination coverage.

Also during this month, many parents are enrolling children in school and older students are heading off to college. No matter what grade your child or grandchild may be entering, going back to school often means returning to the doctor to remain current on immunizations. There are many life-threatening infectious diseases, such as pertussis, diphtheria, mumps and measles, which were once common for some of our parents and grandparents. Thanks to modern medicine, these diseases are now largely preventable because of vaccines.

Getting immunized is an important step to protect you and your family from many infectious diseases. The viruses and bacteria that cause vaccine-preventable diseases still exist and can infect people who have not been immunized. Vaccine-preventable diseases come with a price, resulting in doctors' visits, hospitalizations and premature deaths.

Victoria, L&D Analyst at Corporate, learned about the benefits of immunizations the hard way. “When we adopted our first child, we had the privilege of picking her up from the hospital and taking her home,” says Victoria. “She was less than 48 hours old! We were thrilled, but naive. We went about our lives oblivious to the dangers to which we exposed our new daughter.”

At the time of the adoption, Victoria and her husband did not have the right to request immunizations. As their attorney worked on obtaining permissions for them to obtain medical authority, they enjoyed their new child and showed her off to everyone. “She contracted whooping cough and chicken pox before we could update her shots,” adds Victoria. “Needless to say, as soon as our lawyer gave us clearance and we received all the signatures from the birth mother, we immunized her. We’ve kept all our children’s shots up to date ever since.”

Vaccinations aren’t just important for children – adults need to take precaution too.  In fact, with the flu season around the corner, I urge you to make time to get your influenza shot. If you have not already scheduled your annual preventive care exam with your physician, you can take care of both in one appointment. Remember to take advantage of State Farm’s Group Medical PPO plan options which offer coverage for some immunizations, including the flu vaccine.

Maintaining high immunization rates protects our communities too by interfering with the transmission of disease-causing agents. In turn, this decreases the risk that unimmunized people will be exposed to viruses and bacteria that cause diseases. This type of protection is known as community immunity. In other words, protecting the majority of people with safe, effective vaccines safeguards those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.

Getting your shots will help you and your community score big in in the game of health. Empowering you to Live Well, Be Well and stay well.

Additional Resources

Check out the Immunizations resources available on www.SFLiveWell.com.
Stay current on your vaccines by following these schedules provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Got a Smartphone? Keep track of your immunization schedule online with Shots by STFM (Society of Teachers of Family Medicine).

And remember the furry members of your family. Pets need to be vaccinated too! Visit these FAQs from the American Veterinary Medical Association.