Immunizations

Immunizations offer invaluable protection against many potentially deadly diseases, including COVID-19. If you’re unsure what immunizations you might need, visit Valessa Mesidor, NP-C at Nova Wellness Health in Wantagh, New York. They can advise you which shots to have so you stay protected. Call Nova Wellness Health to arrange a consultation or schedule an appointment by completing the online booking form.

Why should I have immunizations?

Immunizations protect you against diseases that can cause severe harm and, in many cases, death. You receive most immunizations during early childhood, but if you’ve missed out, you can still have them as an adult. Some also require regular booster shots in adulthood.

Staying up-to-date with your immunizations can prevent considerable distress, pain, expense, and lost time, and could save your life.

How do immunizations protect me?

Immunizations harness your immune system’s function to prevent disease. The immune system constantly works to identify microscopic invading organisms like bacteria, viruses, molds, and fungi that could harm your body. When it detects any invaders, it produces antibodies that target and eliminate the threat.

The first time you get an illness, it takes a while for your immune system to produce the correct antibodies because they’re all unique. In the meantime, you suffer the effects of the illness. Having created an antibody once, your immune system stores the blueprint so it can quickly produce more should you encounter that organism again — and that next time you won’t get sick.

The vaccines used in immunizations contain enough information about specific organisms for your immune system to create antibodies. That means you don’t have to get sick to benefit from immunity. In many cases, protection is for life. For example, if you get measles or chickenpox, it’s unlikely you’ll ever do so again. In other cases, protection fades over time.

Some vaccines use dead or deactivated organisms or safe forms of toxins the organism produces. Newer vaccines use fragments of genetic material. These substances won’t make you sick — they just arm your immune system for the future.

What immunizations do I need?

Routine immunizations prevent illnesses such as:

• Tetanus
• Diphtheria
• Pertussis (whooping cough)
• Measles
• Mumps
• Rubella
• Polio
• Rotavirus
• Varicella (chickenpox)
• Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
• Hepatitis A
• Meningococcal disease
• Human papillomavirus (HPV)

If you missed these immunizations as a child, talk to the Nova Wellness Health team about updating your vaccinations.

Diseases like the flu and COVID-19 require regular booster shots throughout life to maintain protection because there are many different viruses. It’s also wise to have pneumococcal disease, hepatitis B, and shingles vaccinations in later life. If you travel overseas, you might need additional immunizations to protect you against diseases found in the country you visit.

Call Nova Wellness Health to learn more about immunizations or request an evaluation via the online booking form today.