Health officials encourage annual immunizations along with COVID-19 vaccine

Lenah Allen, Thomasville Times-Enterprise, Ga.
·2 min read

Aug. 5—THOMASVILE — Along with urging everyone to get the COVID-19 vaccine, health officials also are encouraging Georgians to stay up to date on all other immunizations in observance of Immunization Awareness Month.

Immunization Awareness month is a chance for health officials to emphasize the importance of routine immunizations for people of all ages.

Nikki Wilson, immunization coordinator for the Southwest Health District, said that the pandemic shouldn't discourage anyone from staying updated on yearly vaccinations.

"Routine vaccination is an essential preventive care service for children, adolescence and adults and it really doesn't need to be delayed just because of the COVID pandemic," she said.

For children specifically, Wilson said routine immunizations can protect them from vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and mumps while they're at the most vulnerable age in their life.

"As a parent, you want to keep your child safe and routine childhood vaccinations are an important way to ensure that your child and community remain safe," she said. "We do want to encourage parents to make sure children are up to date on routine vaccinations and the best way is during checkups."

This year, Georgia will require all rising 11th graders who are 16 years-old to receive the MCD4 booster (meningococcal) prior to starting school. COVID-19 postponed the booster from being administered last year.

Wilson said rising college students should also make it a point to receive the booster as they prepare to head off to college.

"If you have teenager who is going off to college, we want to make sure to meet those records of what their colleges are requiring and also going over what's recommended that they may not have, such as the meningococcal booster," she said. "That's a very important vaccination because there are statistics that they see that strain of meningococcal more in college students, so we really highly encourage that one for those students going off to college as well."

Pregnant women also are highly encouraged to stay updated on vaccines.

Between 27 to 36 weeks of pregnancy, a Tdap vaccine is administered to protect against whooping cough, which can be fatal for newborns.

"By vaccinating the mother during that time, it protects her from passing whopping cough to the newborn, but it also gives the baby some immunity for bad disease," Wilson said.

Wilson advises everyone to visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website's vaccine guide, at cdc.gov, to review immunization requirements and more information.

"I would encourage parents and others to review those — that way, when you go in to see your health care provider, you know what to ask and this also allows you to become more educated so you can then make the best decisions for yourself and your children," she said.