With the new school year starting soon, vaccinations should be included in every back-to-school list. Parents are reminded to have their children up-to-date on required vaccinations before school starts. To celebrate the importance of immunizations for people of all ages – and make sure that children and teens are protected with all the vaccines they need – the Berrien County Health Department is joining with partners nationwide in recognizing August as National Immunization Awareness Month.

“Immunizations are a safe and effective way to help children stay healthy in school and protect them, and the people around them, from vaccine preventable illnesses that can be very serious,” said Peggy Hamel, Clinical and Community Health Services Manager at the Berrien County Health Department. “If you haven’t done so already, now is the time to check with your doctor to find out what vaccines your child needs.”

Vaccines protect against a number of serious and potentially life-threatening diseases. When children are not vaccinated, they are at increased risk for diseases and can also spread diseases to others in their classrooms and community – including babies who are too young to be fully vaccinated, and people with weakened immune systems due to cancer or other health conditions.

While vaccines have significantly reduced the incidence of many diseases in the United States, such as measles, whooping cough, polio, hepatitis B, and chickenpox, they still pose a public health threat. Just in the last year alone, there were hundreds of cases of preventable diseases like whooping cough and measles throughout the United States in part due to inadequate vaccinations of children.

Michigan state law requires children to receive certain immunizations prior to attending public and private elementary and secondary schools, child care centers, family day care homes, nursery schools, day nurseries and developmental centers. Required immunizations are a part of preventative health care and are generally covered free-of-charge by health insurance. If your infant or child does not have health insurance or you cannot afford immunizations, the Berrien County Health Department can provide free and low cost immunizations for children up through age 18 through the Vaccines for Children program.

Talk to your child’s doctor to find out which vaccines are recommended for them before going back to school or college this fall. Parents can find out more about the recommended vaccines by calling the Berrien County Health Department at 269-926-7121 or visitingwww.bchdmi.org/immunizations or www.cdc.gov/vaccines.