With so many people around, as well as many group situations that you or your children may face each week, it is important that you become protected from diseases that may circulate among them. One of the most important ways to stay healthy in today’s world is to get immunizations and vaccinations from your local doctor or clinic.

The Difference

An immunization is not the same thing as a vaccination. Immunization means being made immune to a particular disease. This means you will not be infected with it or made sick by it even though you may be around people with the disease. Your body will have developed immunity to it.

A vaccination is simply the tool that will help you to become immune. It consists of a product that is injected into your body so that your body will react to it and create immunity to it. Your body is what actually makes you immune as it automatically reacts to a limited foreign substance.

Other tools may also be used to deliver the product. Nasal sprays, and sometimes oral liquids, are often used to deliver other products to initiate the immunity process.

In the past, many illnesses and diseases have decimated large numbers of people (the flu) or crippled many people (polio). Vaccinations have changed that, and it has enabled some diseases in the United States to be almost completely eradicated. Easy travel between nations can easily bring new and unique diseases to our shores each year.

Vaccinations Required

There are many situations where a particular vaccination may be required. Group settings, in particular, require that members of that group be vaccinated. Immunizations and vaccinations will reduce the possibility of getting infected and passing it on to other people. Schools require them, medical staff must get vaccinated, and it is also necessary for those in the military.

Certain vaccinations are required for children as they grow older. These are necessary to stay in school. The vaccinations cover a wide range of diseases including polio, tetanus, diphtheria, rubella, measles, mumps, whooping cough, and more.

Some vaccinations do not provide a lifetime immunization. This means that a booster shot is needed every so many years, and some shots, such as the flu, are only good for a year. Pregnant women should get some vaccinations to help their own health and the health of the baby. Seniors should also get some vaccinations because their immune system often becomes weaker with age. They can get shots for things such as the flu, pneumonia, shingles, measles, and more.

Travelers also must have them, and some nations will require specific vaccinations before you will be allowed to enter that country. This is because diseases in that country are not found in the United States and people living here have no immunity to them.

The Silver Star Urgent Care clinic provides immunizations and vaccinations for people who need them. All of our doctors are Board-certified. In order to work with your schedule, we are open from 8:00 am until 8:00 pm seven days a week.