Staying up-to-date on your vaccination schedule can help protect you, your family, and your community from communicable diseases. At Neighborhood Urgent Care our highly trained team provide all standard vaccinations to infants, children, and adults. Walk-in visits make it easy to get immunizations promptly. You can also schedule visits by calling the nearest office or booking online today.
Vaccinations, or immunizations, are preventive treatments that trigger your immune system’s natural ability to ward off infectious diseases.
The immune system protects your body against foreign pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria, and toxins. By activating your immune system, vaccines can help prevent the spread of disease at home and within your community.
Vaccinations introduce a small amount of a weakened or dead pathogen into your body. Once your immune system recognizes the pathogen, it activates when it comes in contact with that virus again to prevent infection. As a result, vaccines can prevent you from contracting certain communicable diseases or significantly reduce your symptoms.
Several vaccinations exist to protect you from potentially serious diseases and infectious viruses. The most common vaccines include:
Some vaccinations require multiple doses to work effectively. Others need booster shots to continue protecting you throughout life.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommends certain vaccines, such as those that protect against smallpox, cholera, rabies, and typhoid fever, before you travel abroad.
During childhood and early adolescence, your child may need multiple rounds of vaccinations. By adulthood, however, vaccination schedules are not as regular.
The CDC recommends that every adult receive the annual flu vaccine once a year. All adults also need a Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) vaccine once every 10 years.
Many vaccinations protect you and your family against diseases that currently have no cure, such as polio. Without vaccines, these diseases and viral infections can cause severe complications, such as respiratory problems or loss of muscle function.
Vaccines also minimize the spread of disease within communities and around the world to prevent international epidemics. As people continue to seek immunizations, it diminishes the virus’ ability to find new hosts.
If you’d like to receive vaccinations to protect you and your family’s health, call Neighborhood Urgent Care or book online today. Walk-in visits are available, as well as extended evening and weekend hours.