Why You Need Immunizations

Have you had all your shots? You might think that vaccinations are just for pets and children, but it’s not true. Many adults are operating under this false assumption, and so they don’t take advantage of the protection vaccines can afford them. Ask your doctor and you’ll find out, there are many important reasons for you to get the right immunizations.

• Vaccines can prevent many diseases. Many illnesses have been brought under control through vaccinations, but when people stop being immunized, those diseases can come back. Even if they’re not affecting most of the population, they still exist! It’s easy, in our day of easy travel, for diseases to travel across the world and infect someone who is vulnerable because of a lack of immunization.

• Vaccines help guard against infection. Shingles, pneumococcal disease, influenza, HPV, Hepatitis B, and measles are all illnesses against which you can protect yourself using vaccines. Why leave yourself vulnerable, especially when some of these infections can be life-threatening?

• Vaccines are safe and effective. A convenient way to guard your health, vaccines are some of the safest products in all of medicine. There are many safeguards in place to ensure their safety, and they play just as vital a role in keeping you healthy as eating right, exercising, and seeing your doctor regularly.

• Vaccines might save your life. Each year, about 50,000 adults in the United States die from diseases that could have been prevented by vaccines. In addition to death, these preventable diseases can cause long-term illness and hospitalization.

• Vaccines are less expensive than illnesses. In fact, some medical facilities offer certain vaccines at no charge. In contrast, a vaccine-preventable disease will generate medical bills and prevent you from going to work, which may result in a loss of income. Some illnesses keep you sick for up to 15 days, and others require hospitalization, which is also very costly.

• You can’t catch an illness from a vaccine. Some vaccines contain “killed” virus, and others contain a live but weakened form of a virus. Whichever kind of vaccine is recommended for a particular illness, it will not cause you to contract that illness.

• Even young and healthy people need immunization. Vaccine-preventable illnesses can afflict anyone, so even if you’re young and healthy, it’s important to get the right vaccines to help you stay that way. If you smoke or have a chronic health condition like asthma, diabetes, or heart or lung disease, it’s especially important for you to be vaccinated, because these conditions raise your risk factor of complications from vaccine-preventable diseases. These complications can lead to long-term illness, hospitalization, and, sometimes, even death.

• When you’re not vaccinated, you put others at risk. You might not be worried about your own health, because you know you’re a person who bounces back from illness quickly. Your children, grandchildren, and parents are at risk, though, because older people and children tend to be hit harder by vaccine-preventable illnesses. One example of this is pertussis, or whooping cough, which is often spread by adults but can be fatal for infants. Also, measles in adults over 20 years old or children under five years old can suffer from life-threatening pneumonia and brain swelling. When you are immunized, you protect not only yourself but also the people around you. This is especially important because some of the people who are most vulnerable to illness are unable to get certain vaccines.

• If you’re a traveler, vaccines are particularly important. Not only should you get vaccinated so that you don’t bring home an illness, but also so you can keep from spreading illness while you’re abroad. In fact, there are certain vaccines that are required before you’ll be allowed to visit certain parts of the world. Talk to your doctor to make sure you’re both compliant and protected.

If you are concerned about a misdiagnosis or possible medical error, contact the Pegalis Law Group, LLC. For 47 years, we have advocated for people of all ages, in order to help our clients financially and make healthcare safer for everyone. You can reach us today by calling (516) 726-1549.

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