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Vaccine Preventable Diseases
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Immunize Your Children |
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Protect Them from These Diseases! |
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- HEPATITIS A is a serious liver disease cause by the hepatitis A virus (HAV). HAV is found in the stool, and is usually spread by close personal contact and sometimes by eating food or drinking water containing HAV. Hepatitis A can cause mild “flu-like” illness, jaundice (yellow skin of eyes), and/or severe stomach pains and diarrhea. People with hepatitis A infection often have to be hospitalized. In rare cases hepatitis A causes death. Click here for more information about hepatitis A.
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- INFLUENZA (“flu”) is a disease caused by a virus that spreads from infected person to the nose or throat of others. Anyone can get influenza. Influenza can cause fever, sore throat, chills, cough, headache, and muscle aches. Each year over 2,000 people in the US die and over 100,000 are hospitalized because of the flu. More people die from the flu than from any other vaccine-preventable disease. Influenza viruses change often; therefore, the influenza vaccine is updated every year. The best time to get a flu shot is October or November, however getting the vaccine as late as December can still be beneficial. Click here for more information about influenza.
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- Polio is a virus that can permanently paralyze the arms and legs. Before the polio vaccine, thousands of children got polio every year. No wild polio has been reported in the United States for over 20 years. But the disease is still common in some parts of the world. If the effort to eliminate the disease from the world is successful, some day we won't need polio vaccine. Click here for more information about polio.
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- DTaP stands for Diphtheria, Tetanus and accelular Pertussis. Diphtheria is a disease that affects the nose and causes the throat to swell so breathing becomes hard. It can cause paralysis and heart attack. Tetanus is a germ that enters the body through a cut or wound and causes serious and painful muscle spasms which makes it almost impossible for a person to open their mouth and swallow. Pertussis (or whooping cough) causes coughing and choking. The choking can be so bad that it stops children, especially babies, from eating and drinking. This illness can cause brain damage, pneumonia and seizures. Click diphtheria, tetanus, or pertussis for more information about the specific disease.
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- MMR is an immunization for Measles, Mumps and Rubella. Measles is another dangerous virus that causes a rash, cough and fever that damages the ears, eyes and brain. Mumps is also a virus that causes fever, headache and swollen glands. Like measles, mumps can cause a person to lose hearing and it can damage the brain. Rubella (or german measles) causes a rash, mild fever and swollen glands and usually doesn't make children very sick. When pregnant women get sick with rubella, they can lose their babies or their babies can be born with terrible birth defects like no hearing, no sight, heart disease and brain damage. Click measles, mumps, or rubella for more information about the specific disease.
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- Haemophilus Influenzae b or (Hib) is a sickness that occurs mostly in children under five years old. Hib is a bacterial disease that affects the lungs and creates infections all over the body which cause meningitis; brain damage and pneumonia. Click here for more information about HIB.
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- Hepatitis B is a serious disease. The first phase can cause loss of appetite, fatigue, muscle or stomach aches, diarrhea, vomiting and jaundice. If a person has the disease for a long time, the sickness can destroy the liver, cause liver cancer and death. Immunization is the best way to protect against hepatitis B. Click here for more information about hepatitis B.
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- Chicken Pox (Varicella) causes an itchy skin rash (pox) and fever. It is most severe for adults and people with immune problems - it can cause peumonia, infection of the brain and liver, and death. If a pregnant woman catches chicken pox (varicella), it can cause birth defects or severe infection for the newborn, which can be fatal. chicken pox (varicella) is spread by the cough saliva or mucus of person who has it. Click here for more information about chicken pox (varicella).
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- Pneumococcal disease is the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in the United States. Children under 2 years old are at highest risk for serious disease. Pneumococcal infections can be hard to treat because the disease has become resistant to some of the drugs that have been used to treat it. This makes prevention of the disease even more important. The vaccine is also considered for children between 2 to 5 years of age. For more information about pneumococcal disease; for children click here; or for adults click here.
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- Meningococcal disease is a serious illness, caused by a bacteria. It is a leading cause of bacterial meningitis in children 2-18 years old in the United States. Meningitis is an infection of fluid surrounding the brain and the spinal cord. Meningococcal disease also causes blood infections. About 2,600 people get meningococcal disease each year in the U.S. 10-15% of these people die, in spite of treatment with antibiotics. Of those who live, another 11-19% lose their arms or legs, become deaf, have problems with their nervous systems, become mentally retarded, or suffer seizures or strokes. Anyone can get meningococcal disease. But it is most common in infants less than one year of age and people with certain medical conditions, such as lack of a spleen. College freshmen who live in dormitories have an increased risk of getting meningococcal disease. Click here for more information about Meningitis.
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Copyright 1997-2003 Public Health
Department, Santa Barbara County. All Rights Reserved.
Page last updated
July 22, 2005
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Click HERE to contact
the Immunization Project.
For technical support regarding this site, click HERE. |
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