By Beverly Reed, BSN, RN
Manager of Infection Prevention and Employee Health
Baptist Women’s Hospital
August is known for being “back to school” month but is also national immunization month. As you gather immunization documentation for your children to register for school, think about your own immunization status. Do you have a copy of your immunization records? Many adults may not. One of the easiest ways to get your immunization documents is to ask your parents, contact your physician/pediatrician, or the county health department where you grew up. If these options do not work for you, you can ask your physician to draw titers (laboratory tests that measure the level of antibodies in a blood sample). The titers will indicate if you have immunity to the diseases we commonly vaccinate for such as measles, mumps and rubella.
Recommended vaccination schedules for infants, children, teens and adults can be found at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website, cdc.gov. You will also find links to basic vaccine information, vaccine information sheets, as well as questions and answers about vaccines.