Parents' Guide to Vaccinations During National Immunization Awareness Month

    ST. LOUIS, MO, July 24, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The experts at NurseWise, a national multilingual nurse triage and health education provider, have put together some information to help you understand the importance of having your children vaccinated during August's National Immunization Awareness month.

"Vaccinations are crucial to keeping us healthy, both today and in the future. They protect those who receive them, and they also prevent disease outbreaks," said Kim Tuck, RN, President & CEO of NurseWise. "Today, children do not receive a vaccination for the life-threatening disease smallpox because it has been eradicated due to immunizations. However, many other diseases we vaccinate against still do exist, so it's important to ensure our children are safe from these preventable illnesses."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers parents a breakdown of what vaccinations their child should receive and at what age. With so much information about immunizations available, it can be hard to determine what really matters. Here are five reasons vaccinations are important to the health of your family and your future:

• Vaccinations are required. Most states require certain vaccinations for your child to enter daycare, public school and private school. There are exemptions, most often for medical or religious reasons, your child will likely be required to prove he or she has the necessary immunizations according to federal and state laws. Find more details about state vaccination requirements here.

• They save lives. Illnesses like measles, meningitis, diphtheria, polio and hepatitis B can quickly become life-threatening, especially for children. Many are highly contagious, but are now preventable by keeping children up- to-date on their immunizations. These diseases still exist and if children are not protected, they can more easily catch the virus or bacteria. Vaccinations also continue to protect you as you age.

• Preventable illnesses increase your health care costs. Many of the diseases and health issues that have vaccines can result in extensive medical bills and time missed from school (and work for parents of sick children). Immunizations not only prevent children from suffering from those illnesses, but they may be covered by your insurance. There are also federal programs, including Vaccines for Children, which offer free vaccinations to low-income families without health insurance.

• Immunizing eliminates disease. Vaccines protect future generations. By vaccinating our children today, we are decreasing the risk of future disease. Not only are many deadly diseases, including polio and diphtheria, extremely rare in the U.S. due to vaccinations, immunizations have also helped eliminate deadly diseases such as smallpox. The key is to continue vaccinations until the disease is eradicated. Easing up on vaccinations can allow the disease to return, even developing into an epidemic.

• Vaccines are safe. Years of research and testing have gone into the vaccines that are given today. In addition, you cannot get the disease of the immunization you are receiving. Vaccines either use a dead virus, which cannot make you sick, or a weakened version of a live virus that also cannot give you the disease for which you are being vaccinated.

Always check with your child's doctor for the most up-to-date vaccination requirements. For more information about National Immunization Awareness Month and resources for parents, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

About NurseWise
NurseWise is a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation in the business of providing multilingual telehealth (nurse triage and health education) services. We partner with health plans, hospitals, providers, colleges and universities, and other specialty organizations to ensure all callers have access to high quality, appropriate care. NurseWise holds full Health Call Center Accreditation from URAC, an accrediting organization that establishes quality standards for the health care industry, and Health Information Product (HIP) 2 certification from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), which both demonstrate our emphasis on continuous improvement and commitment to quality at all levels of the organization. Our services are designed to encourage individuals to become active participants in their health care, engaging in activities that promote appropriate utilization of care resources as well as better health outcomes for individuals and their families. We have provided uninterrupted service every day since 1995. NurseWise experienced Customer Care Professionals and Registered Nurses at our Clinical Care CentersTM across the country provide Care.Right.Now. through delivery of health information, education, and advice in a culturally and linguistically sensitive manner. NurseWise has locations in Tempe, Ariz.; El Paso, Texas; Tyler, Texas; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Atlanta, Ga.; and St. Louis, Mo. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.nursewise.com or contact us at [email protected].

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