Benefits of Getting Vaccinated

Why Get Vaccinated?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), thousands of American adults become seriously ill, hospitalized, and even die at the hand of vaccine-preventable diseases each year. By staying up to date on your immunizations, you can help minimize this risk and protect you, your family, and the community members from such unnecessary suffering.

Preventing You and Your Family From Getting Sick

Vaccines are the number one way you can help to protect you and your family from contracting preventable diseases. Vaccines work with your body’s immune system to help prepare it to fight off infection adequately by helping it develop immunity to the disease.

Protecting Those Who Can’t Get Vaccinated

When it comes to staying up-to-date on your immunizations, you aren’t just protecting yourself from these preventable diseases—you’re helping to protect those who are unable to get the vaccines themselves.

When it comes to vaccine-preventable diseases, most of them are transmitted from person to person, meaning that if one person gets infected, they can spread it to others who aren’t immune to the illness. However, when people who have been vaccinated become immune, they don’t get sick and can’t spread to the virus.

This is particularly helpful for those living with health conditions that prevent them from being able to get the appropriate vaccinations themselves.

Some of these groups of people typically include:

• Babies and young children under the age of 2
• Those allergic to the vaccine
• Immunocompromised persons
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women
• Older adults

It is important to speak with your doctor to determine if you have an underlying health condition that prevents you from being able to get certain vaccines.

Eradication of Disease
During the early 1900s, diseases like polio, whooping cough, and measles affected hundreds of thousands of American infants, children, and adults—also killing thousands each year. Fortunately, with the development of vaccines that were widely used and distributed, cases dwindled to the point where coming down with these illnesses are nearly nonexistent today.

With instances like these, there is reason to believe that widespread use of vaccines can continue to help keep these diseases and others like them under control to the point where they’re rarely seen anymore. Even when they are seemingly gone, continuing vaccinations can completely eradicate diseases, like polio.

Primary Care in Ridgecrest, California

At Ridgecrest Regional Hospital, our team of highly trained and experienced family physicians and internists is dedicated to providing healthcare services to patients of all ages in Ridgecrest and surrounding areas.

To learn more about our primary care services or schedule an appointment, visit our website or give us a call at 760-446-3551 (Mon-Fri 8 AM-4:30 PM).