The Peoria City/County Health Department reminds all residents that being immunized against vaccine preventable diseases is a positive healthy behavior not only for children, but also for adults. With vaccinations, the United States has been successful at reducing the threat of many infectious diseases and outbreaks.
In the Peoria area, most children receive their recommended age-appropriate vaccinations, but the same does not hold true for adults. Many adults skip recommended vaccinations, which can lead to preventable illnesses and possibly death. In fact, every year adults become ill from vaccine-preventable diseases such as the flu, pneumococcal disease, hepatitis A and hepatitis B.
Greg Chance, Administrator at Peoria City/County Health Department states, “As an adult, the type of vaccines you should get can depend on your age, lifestyle, profession, underlying health conditions, and even the places you travel. You may also need a booster shot, which is an additional vaccine needed to maintain your immunity to a disease. Our Department helps adults chose the correct vaccines for their needs. During this holiday season, recommended immunizations might include those needed for travel to foreign countries.”
Some adult vaccines include:
• Seasonal Flu vaccine: Adults should receive a flu vaccine each year to protect themselves and those around them from influenza, which can be especially risky for individuals ages 65 and older, pregnant women and people already living with serious health conditions.
• Shingles vaccine: The shingles vaccine is recommended for people age 60 years and older and can help against the painful outbreaks of rashes and blisters caused by the chickenpox virus.
• Tdap vaccine: The Tdap vaccine protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. It is important for adults, particularly pregnant women and those people caring for infants, to be immunized against pertussis or whooping cough since it is spread easily and is extremely dangerous to infants.
• Pneumococcal vaccine: Pneumococcal disease can cause three major conditions of pneumonia, bacteremia, and meningitis; all of which are leading causes of serious illness among children and adults.
• HPV vaccine: The HPV vaccine protects against strains of the human papillomavirus that can cause cervical and anal cancer.
• Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B vaccines: These diseases are caused by viruses and can cause serious liver infections.
Assistance is available
For more information on vaccination, call the Peoria City/County Health Department Immunization program at 679-6655. For information on other important Public Health issues, visit the Peoria City/County Health Department website at www.pcchd.org.