By: Melina Turtle, Vaccine Preventable Disease Investigator, Baltimore City Health Department

August is National Immunization Awareness Month, a time to recognize vaccines, one of the top 10 public health accomplishments of the 20th Century. It is also a time to remind people that immunizations are not just for children.  They are needed throughout our lifetime.

Starting even before a baby is born, mothers can help protect them by getting flu and whooping cough (pertussis) vaccines themselves. These vaccines will provide some disease protection (immunity) that will last the first months of a baby’s life. This early protection is critical because infants in the first several months of life are at the greatest risk of severe illness from these diseases but are too young to be immunized themselves. Passing maternal antibodies on to them is the only way to help directly protect them.

Creating a circle of protection is the next step in caring for newborn babies.  Any child, caregiver, or family member that comes into contact with a newborn should be protected against the flu and whooping cough, thereby creating a “cocoon” for the baby.

Getting babies their vaccines on time is also an important step in protecting them against more than a dozen serious diseases before they turn two years old. Lots of younger parents have never seen the devastating effects that diseases like measles or whooping cough can have on a family or community.  It’s easy to think of these as diseases of the past.  The truth is they still exist.

One needn’t go any further than our own backyard to understand how important vaccination is. Together with the Baltimore County Health Department, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the Centers for Disease Control, BCHD is currently investigating a possible case of measles in a Baltimore County resident who was seen for care at Sinai Hospital. The patient, an unvaccinated child, presented with fever and rash consistent with measles.  Initial testing is consistent with measles and further investigation is ongoing.

It is equally as important to pay attention to older children, preteens and teens, as they need vaccines because they are at greater risk for certain diseases like meningitis, septicemia (blood infection), and the cancers caused by HPV infection. By making sure vaccines are up to date, parents can send their preteens and teens to middle school and high school – and also off to college – knowing they are protected against vaccine-preventable diseases.

Being vaccinated not only helps protect adolescents from getting diseases, it also provides what is known as “herd immunity” and helps stop the spread of these diseases to others in their family, classroom and community. This is especially important to help protect babies that are too young to be fully vaccinated, people aged 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems due to cancer, heart disease, or other health conditions.

Adults also need to be immunized against serious diseases like the flu, shingles, and hepatitis B, among others.  Vaccines are important at all stages of life based on age, lifestyle, occupation, locations of travel, medical conditions, and vaccines received in the past.

So, during August remember:

• Vaccines are an important step in protecting against serious, and sometimes deadly, diseases.

• Vaccines are recommended throughout our lives.

A well-immunized community helps protect those who cannot be vaccinated due to various reasons, helping us all stay healthy and disease-free. Vaccines are among the safest and most cost-effective ways to prevent disease.

Don’t delay, vaccinate today!