Immunization Program

Goal: Prevent and control communicable disease through immunizations.

Infants and children

• Provides routine immunizations for uninsured and under-insured children.
• Promotes strategies that increase county immunization levels to ensure 90% of children are fully immunized by 2 years.
• Participates in and promotes the Central New York Immunization Registry, a computer based system where records are securely stored in a central location regardless of where a child's immunizations are given.

Some children get their first immunization before leaving the hospital after birth. Others begin at 2 months of age. Further immunizations are due at 4, 6, 12-15 months of age and again before starting school.

There are eleven serious diseases that children are routinely immunized against:

• Measles
• Mumps
• Rubella
• Diphtheria
• Tetanus (lockjaw)
• Pertussis (whooping cough)
• Polio
• Haemophilus Influenza type B (Hib)
• Hepatitis B, Varicella (chicken pox)
• Pneumococcal Disease

Additional immunizations may be recommended for some children.

Adults

• Provides routine immunizations
• Promotes strategies to increase adult immunization levels

Getting immunized is a lifelong, life-protecting job, but many adults are unaware they should be immunized.

There are four serious diseases that adults are routinely immunized against:

• Influenza: The "flu shot" is recommended every year for all adults age 50 years and older.
• Pneumonia: The "pneumonia shot" is recommended for all adults 65 years and older. For most people, it is a once-in-a-lifetime vaccine.
• Tetanus & Diphtheria: The "TD shot" is recommended for all adults. A booster dose is given every 10 years, following a primary series usually done during early childhood.

Immunization may be recommended at an earlier age for some adults and the schedule may also vary for those persons.

Additional immunizations may also be recommended for some adults, and may include Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) and Hepatitis B.

For additional information, contact your doctor or the Immunization Program. The CDC's National Immunization Program website also has information on a variety of immunization issues.