Immunization (Print Version)

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Immunization

URL of this page: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/immunization.html

Also called: Also called: Vaccination

Shots may hurt a little... but the diseases they can prevent can hurt a lot more! Immunization shots, or vaccinations, are essential. They protect against things like measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, polio, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough). Immunizations are important for adults as well as for children. Here's why.

Your immune system helps your body fight germs by producing substances to combat them. Once it does, the immune system "remembers" the germ and can fight it again. Vaccines contain germs that have been killed or weakened. When given to a healthy person, the vaccine triggers the immune system to respond and thus build immunity.

Before vaccines, people became immune only by actually getting a disease and surviving it. Immunizations are an easier and less risky way to become immune.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Start Here

What Is a Vaccine?(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) - http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/vaccines/understanding/
What Vaccines Do You Need?(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www2.cdc.gov/nip/adultImmSched/

Overviews

Adult Immunization Schedule(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/adult-schedule.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/downloads/adult/2009/adult-schedule-sp.pdf
List of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/vpd-list.htm
Vaccines for Adults: Which Ones Should You Get?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/vaccines/ID00016/METHOD=print

Latest News

Swine Flu Vaccine Still Months Away(04/30/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_83622.html
Current Vaccines Will Not Stop Swine Flu(04/27/2009, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_83464.html
Universal Flu Vaccine Shows Promise(04/27/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_83446.html
Vaccine Safety(04/20/2009, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/Features/VaccineSafety/
More News on Immunization http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alphanews_i.html#immunization

Prevention/Screening

Screening Questionnaire for Adult Immunization(Immunization Action Coalition) - Links to PDF - http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4065.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4065-01.pdf

Related Issues

Current Vaccine Shortages and Delays(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/shortages/
Diabetes and Vaccines(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.hhs.gov/nvpo/factsheets/fs_tableVII_doc4.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/inmunizacion/diabetes_vacunas.html
Fainting (Syncope) After Vaccination(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/syncope.htm
FAQs about Recalled Vaccines(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/recalls/recalls-faqs.htm
Hair Loss and Vaccines(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/archive/hairloss.htm
Immunization Issues: Evaluating Information about Vaccines on the Internet(National Network for Immunization Information) - http://www.immunizationinfo.org/immunization_issues_detail.cfv?id=102
Immunization Record Card(National Coalition for Adult Immunization) - Links to PDF - http://www.nfid.org/pdf/influenza/adultizcard.pdf
Ingredients of Vaccines(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/additives.htm
Keeping Up with Vaccines(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2007/107_vaccines.html
Mercury and Vaccines (Thimerosal)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/thimerosal.htm
Orphan Vaccines(National Network for Immunization Information) - http://www.immunizationinfo.org/immunization_policy_detail.cfv?id=40
Possible Side-Effects from Vaccines(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/side-effects.htm
Vaccine Adverse Event Report System(Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research) - http://www.fda.gov/cber/vaers/vaers.htm
Vaccine Components(National Network for Immunization Information) - http://www.immunizationinfo.org/vaccine_components.cfm
Vaccine Development and Testing(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.hhs.gov/nvpo/factsheets/fs_tableII_doc1.htm
Vaccine Shortages(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/vaccines/731.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/healthy/vaccines/731.printerview.html
What Would Happen If We Stopped Vaccinations?(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/nip/publications/fs/gen/WhatIfStop.htm
Who Should Not Get Vaccinated with These Vaccines?(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/should-not-vacc.htm
Your Guide to Reporting Problems to FDA(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/reporting_guide061008.html

Pictures & Photographs

Vaccine-Preventable Disease Photos(Immunization Action Coalition) - http://www.vaccineinformation.org/photos/

Health Check Tools

What Vaccines Do You Need?(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www2.cdc.gov/nip/adultImmSched/

Anatomy/Physiology

Immune System(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) - http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/immuneSystem/

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Vaccines(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/term=vaccines+%5BCONDITION%5D+OR+vaccines+%5BTREATMENT%5D
ClinicalTrials.gov: Vaccine Adverse Reactions(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/term=vaccine+adverse+reactions

Journal Articles

References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: Systemic tolerability of specific subcutaneous immunotherapy with index-of-reactivity-standardized allergen extracts... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19354072&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Patterns of pneumococcal vaccination and revaccination in elderly and non-elderly... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19321001&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Adult immunization. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19305370&tool=MedlinePlus
Immunization -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(immunization[majr]+OR+immunization+programs[majr]+NOT+immunotherapy,adoptive[mh:noexp])+AND+adult[mh]+NOT+(parents[mh]+OR+pediatrics[mh])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Dictionaries/Glossaries

Glossary / Acronyms of Vaccine-Related Terms(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/about/terms.htm
Immunization Issues: Understanding Vaccine Research Terms(National Network for Immunization Information) - http://www.immunizationinfo.org/immunization_issues_detail.cfv?id=113

Directories

Traveler's Health: Destinations (Diseases and Vaccinations)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinationList.aspx

Organizations

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - http://www.cdc.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/
National Network for Immunization Information - http://www.immunizationinfo.org/
National Vaccine Program Office(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.hhs.gov/nvpo/

Law and Policy

Common Questions about Vaccine Safety(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/basic/faq.htm
Immunization Laws(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.hhs.gov/nvpo/law.htm
Vaccine Information Statements (VIS)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/default.htm
Vaccines Licensed for Immunization and Distributed in the U.S.(Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research) - http://www.fda.gov/cber/vaccine/licvacc.htm

MedlinePlus Magazine

New Vaccines Help Protect You - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine/issues/fall06/articles/fall06pg4-5.html

Children

MedlinePlus: Childhood Immunization(National Library of Medicine) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/childhoodimmunization.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/childhoodimmunization.html

Teenagers

Adolescent Immunization Questions and Answers(National Foundation for Infectious Diseases) - Links to PDF - http://www.nfid.org/pdf/factsheets/adolescentqa.pdf
Immunizations(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/school_jobs/college/immunizations.html
Vaccines Needed by Teens and College Students(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/teen-schedule.htm

Women

General Screenings and Immunizations Guidelines for Women(National Women's Health Information Center) - Links to PDF - http://womenshealth.gov/screeningcharts/general/general.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.womenshealth.gov/espanol/tabladeensayos/mujeres/
Immunization Issues: Vaccines for Pregnant Women(National Network for Immunization Information) - http://www.immunizationinfo.org/immunization_issues_detail.cfv?id=90

Seniors

Shots for Safety(National Institute on Aging) - http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/shots.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/Spanish/shots-sp.htm

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

Childhood Immunization - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/childhoodimmunization.html
Immune System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/immunesystem.html
Infections - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infections.html

Immunization - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/immunization.html

Date last updated: May 01 2009

Topic last reviewed: January 09 2009