Last year in Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long and McIntosh counties, more than 100,000 people, including infants and children, got immunized against diseases that could make them very sick or even worse.

National Infant Immunization Week, April 20-27, is a time to recognize the importance of immunizations and their positive impact on children all over the world, including right here in coastal Georgia.

Each day, nearly 12,000 babies are born in the U.S., and all of them will need to be vaccinated against 14 vaccine-preventable diseases before age 2. Most childhood vaccines produce immunity 90 percent to 100 percent of the time. Vaccines are safe and effective and without getting vaccinated children are at greater risk of catching one of the vaccine-preventable diseases.

 “The bottom line is that getting children vaccinated is the best way to keep them from getting sick from diseases that we know we can prevent,” said Coastal Health District Immunization Coordinator Beth Hausauer. “We take time out to celebrate National Infant Immunization Week but in our health departments we promote the importance of immunizations every single day.”

Vaccines help prevent children against a host of diseases including hepatitis A and B, polio, varicella (chicken pox), measles, mumps, and rubella. By age 2, a child should be up-to-date on their first series of infant immunizations.

For more information on immunizations schedules, go to www.gachd.org and click on Immunizations and Vaccinations under the Quick Links menu or call your local health department.