Protection Against 13 Different Communicable Diseases Available
For Infants and Toddlers

Hepatitis A Vaccine Now Recommended

In recognition of National Infant Immunization Week (April 23 through April 29, 2006), the Nassau County Department of Health urges all parents to ensure that their infants and toddlers are fully protected from the following 13 vaccine preventable diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), poliomyelitis, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, haemophilus influenza (meningitis), varicella (chickenpox), pneumococcal disease and influenza. Many of these diseases are life threatening in infants and young children.

This year, for the first time, hepatitis A vaccine is recommended for all infants at ages 12 and 18 months.

It is extremely important to protect the health of our children by immunizing them against these 13 vaccine preventable diseases.  These diseases can spread rapidly among children who are not immunized and can have severe consequences to the very young as well as to adults who are not protected.  Families are encouraged to check with their doctors to make sure every child's immunizations are up to date.  All children are required by New York State law to have certain immunizations before they can start nursery school, preschool programs, day care or kindergarten.

In a sample review of the immunization levels of the county’s two-year-old children completed in 2005, even though most children were immunized against each of the separate diseases, only 55% of the two-year-old children were fully immunized against all these diseases. A total of 92% of the two year old children surveyed were fully immunized for their age against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough) with four doses of vaccine and 100% had received three doses of the vaccine; 98% were fully immunized for their age against polio with three doses of vaccine; 99% were immunized against measles, mumps and rubella with the one dose recommended by this age; 99% were immunized against haemophilus influenza (meningitis) with three doses of vaccine; 99% were fully immunized against hepatitis B with three doses of vaccine; 90% were fully immunized against varicella (chickenpox) with one dose of vaccine.  However, only 55% were fully immunized with four doses of vaccine against pneumococcal diseases because there was a temporary shortage of this vaccine, and the interim recommendations were to give each child three doses.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Practice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommend that all children, by age two years, have the following immunizations: 4 doses of DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis); 3 doses of polio, 1 dose of MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), 2 doses of hepatitis A, 3 doses of hepatitis B, 3 doses of haemophilus influenza (meningitis), 1 dose of varicella (chicken pox), 4 doses of pneumococcal vaccine and an annual influenza vaccine.