VALDOSTA – The month of August is about bringing awareness to immunizations, and the Georgia Department of Public Health wants Georgians to think ahead and get the required school vaccinations.
Each week of National Immunization Awareness Month focuses on a different stage of the lifespan:
• Pregnant women (Aug. 5-11).
• Babies and young children (Aug. 12-18).
• Preteens/teens (Aug. 19-25).
• Adults (Aug. 26-31).
• Back to School (July/August).
“As you are making your back to school checklist, it’s a good time to prioritize vaccinating your family,” said Norma Jean Johnson, RN, county nurse manager. “Vaccines are the best defense we have against potentially deadly diseases and it is crucial that everyone that can get vaccinated gets vaccinated.”
Before starting the 2020-21 school year, all students entering or transferring into 11th grade will need proof of a meningococcal booster shot, unless the first dose was received on or after the 16th birthday, health officials said.
Meningococcal disease is a serious bacterial illness that affects the brain and the spinal cord. Meningitis can cause shock, coma and death within hours of the first symptoms.
To help protect children and others from meningitis, Georgia law requires students be vaccinated against this disease, unless the child has an exemption, health officials said.
Some schools, colleges and universities have policies requiring vaccination against meningococcal disease as a condition of enrollment. Students aged 21 years or younger should have documentation of receipt of a dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine not more than five years before enrollment, health officials said.
If the primary dose was administered before the 16th birthday, a booster dose should be administered before enrollment in college
Safe and effective vaccines are available to protect adults and children alike against potentially life-threatening diseases such as tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, shingles, measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (chickenpox), officials said.
Every adult in Georgia (19 years of age and older) should follow the recommended immunization schedule by age and medical condition.
Vaccinations protect families and communities; especially infants and those individuals who are unable to be immunized or who have weakened immune systems, health officials said.
Health officials recommend a link for more information on adult immunization schedule: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/downloads/adult/adult-schedule-easy-read.pdf
Vaccines protect families, teens and children by preventing disease, they said. Not only do vaccinations help avoid expensive therapies and hospitalization needed to treat infectious diseases such as influenza and pneumococcal disease, but they also reduce absences both at school and at work and decrease the spread of illness in the home, workplace and community.
Adults should check with their health-care provider for their current immunization recommendations, as well as parents to check for their children, health officials said.
For the 2019-20 U.S. influenza season, providers may choose to administer any licensed, age-appropriate influenza vaccine (IIV, recombinant influenza vaccine or LAIV4). LAIV4 is an option for those for whom it is otherwise appropriate.
No preference is expressed for any influenza vaccine product.
Talk to health-care providers for more information or visit Lowndes County Health Department and get vaccinated.
For more information on immunization, call Lowndes County Health Department (229) 333-5257 or visit http://dph.georgia.gov/immunization-section.
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