Vaccination Services Questions and Answers

If you would like an appointment or more information about vaccination services at Immediate Care of Oklahoma feel free to give us a call. We have convenient locations to serve you in Oklahoma City, OK.

Vaccination Services Near Me in West Moore OK, Norman (HealthPlex) OK, Norman (24th) OK, Edmond OK, Yukon OK, I-240 and Sooner RD OK, and Tecumseh OK

Vaccines serve as the safest and most effective defense we have to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities against infectious diseases. Moreover, the fact that many of the infectious diseases that vaccines protect against are not as much of a threat to the population at large as they once were,is direct evidence that vaccines work. With that being said, those infectious diseases still exist and can cause harmful effects to ourselves and those around us. As such, vaccines remain an essential part of preventive medicine. At Immediate Care of Oklahoma, we are proud to provide vaccination services to anyone who requires them! We have also provided some answers to commonly asked questions about vaccination services below.

What are vaccines?

Vaccines are a type of medicine that prepares the immune system to detect and eradicate the pathogens of particular diseases. Most vaccines contain weakened or inactivated forms of the virus that they are designed to protect against. Should those disease-causing pathogens enter your body in the future, your immune system will recognize, and quickly eradicate, them. As such, vaccines help the body develop immunity to a particular disease without first getting sick from the disease and risking its harmful effects on the body.

What are the standard vaccinations?

The standard, or recommended, vaccinations according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are as follows:

• Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP)
• Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine
• Hepatitis A, B, and C (HepA, HepB, and HepC) vaccines
• Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine
• Inactivated polio vaccine (IPV)
• Influenza (flu) shot
• Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine
• Meningococcal conjugate (MenACWY) and serogroup B meningococcal (MenB) vaccine
• Pneumococcal conjugate virus (PCV13)
• Rotavirus (RV) vaccine
• Varicella-zoster vaccine (VZV)

What diseases do vaccines protect against?

In general, vaccines protect the body against infectious diseases, particularly bacterial and viral infections. Currently, there are no vaccines available to control or prevent parasitic and fungal infections. The infectious diseases that the standard or recommended vaccines protect against are as follows:

• Chickenpox (VZV)
• Diphtheria (DTaP)
• Hepatitis A, B, and C
• Hib
• HPV
• Influenza
• Measles (MMR)
• Meningococcal disease, or meningitis
• Mumps (MMR)
• Pertussis, or whooping cough (DTaP)
• Polio (IPV)
• Pneumonia (PCV13)
• Rubella (MMR)
• Tetanus (DTaP)

How do vaccines work in general?

The primary function of the immune system is to identify and protect the body from disease-causing pathogens. Once the immune system is exposed to a particular pathogen, it creates antibodies that fight and work to eradicate those pathogens and keep the body from disease. However, the immune response to pathogens is sometimes not strong enough to prevent harmful or even fatal effects of the diseases they cause.

With that in mind, vaccines work by introducing the immune system to antigen molecules similar to those that cover disease-causing pathogens in a trace, controlled, and weakened or inactivated amount. In response, the immune system can mount a proper defense and commit it to memory without getting sick from the disease or virus.

As a result, if the immune system is exposed to the real or undiluted pathogen in the future, the vaccine will have already primed the immune system to respond with increased speed and strength to detect and eradicate the pathogen before it causes sickness or disease.

We welcome you to give us a call, schedule an appointment with us through our website, or visit one of our seven clinics for a walk-in appointment. We serve patients from West Moore OK, Norman (HealthPlex) OK, Norman (24th) OK, Edmond OK, Yukon OK, I-240 & Sooner RD OK, Tecumseh OK, and Bethany OK.