Immunizations

---

Immunizations protect you and those around you from contracting highly infectious diseases. With vaccines, most devastating communicable diseases are completely avoidable. Protect yourself and your family today by developing your immunizations plan with the team at Premier Family Medicine, located in Denver. Immunizations make sense. Get yours by booking an appointment online or over the phone.

Immunization shots, aka vaccines, prevent all kinds of diseases. When your Premier Family Medicine doctor injects you with a vaccine, your body develops antibodies to fight it off, so that later, when faced with the real thing, your body can do it again.

There are four types of vaccines out there, which all work a little differently to help build up your immunity to disease.

• Live vaccines
  • Live vaccines contain a weakened or dying virus, such as chickenpox. Your immune system responds by developing antibodies specific to that virus. Later down the line, thanks to the immunization, your body has no problem stopping the virus in its tracks. Live vaccines are highly effective, and you usually only need one or two shots to be immunized for life.
• Inactivated vaccines
  • These vaccines contain the dead version of a disease-causing germ or virus. They aren’t as effective as live vaccines, so to stay immunized, you need to occasionally receive new doses, called booster shots. 
• Toxoid vaccines
  • These contain specific toxins made by a bacteria or virus and immunize you against the disease-causing element of a germ, not the germ itself. They also require occasional boosters.
• Subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide, and conjugate vaccines
  • These vaccines contain specific parts of a germ, such as a protein, sugar, or casing. They provide strong immunization against specific key elements of disease-causing germs. They work on both healthy people and people with weakened immune systems. Some require boosters.

Immunizations are important because they protect you and others against infectious diseases and infections. With vaccines, American doctors have virtually eliminated the occurrence of several diseases that once killed thousands every year.

In 1921, for example, over 15,000 people in the United States died of diptheria. In contrast, with vaccines, between the years of 2004 and 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received only two reports of diphtheria.

During the first few years of your life, you’ll receive a myriad of immunizations. However, as you get older, you’ll need booster shots. It’s important to keep track of your immunization records and provide them to your doctor so that they can alert you when it’s time for a booster.

Note that the CDC updates the official immunization schedule for Americans once a year, so it’s important to schedule yearly visits when your doctor can catch you up on any changes. You also need immunizations outside of a regular schedule if and when you:

• Come into contact with a person who has an infectious disease for which you aren’t vaccinated
• Have a compromised immune system
• Are preparing to travel overseas

Finally, remember to get your yearly flu shot. If you need immunizations for your family, for yourself, or for a special trip, don’t procrastinate. Schedule an appointment to get your shots with the friendly team at Premier Family Medicine today.