National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) is April 18-25, 2015, and the Ocean County Health Department (OCHD) urges all parents to protect infants from vaccine-preventable diseases by ensuring our little ones and everyone around them, are vaccinated and up-to-date on their immunization schedules.

“Vaccines are crucial to protecting children before they are exposed to potentially life-threatening diseases,” said Ocean County Freeholder Deputy Director Gerry P. Little, Liaison to the Ocean County Board of Health.   “Immunization is a shared responsibility and we as parents, family, friends and health care providers can help keep our children and our communities protected by staying up-to-date on the latest immunization schedule. We encourage parents to speak with their health care provider at every visit to make sure their infant is up-to-date on vaccinations.”

Daniel Regenye, OCHD Public Health Coordinator, said, “In collaboration with our local hospital systems, the Federally Qualified Health Centers and Long Beach Island Health Department, we have just produced the 2014-2018 Community Health Improvement Plan.  One of the priority issues is Immunization Compliance with its goals being to enhance access to vaccination services in Ocean County, educate parents, schools, etc., on the importance of immunizations, enforce immunization requirements by continued auditing of schools and day care centers, continue our work with health care providers to ensure they provide timely vaccination for children and encourage the use of the NJ Immunization Registry by healthcare providers.  The Immunization Advisory Committee has begun working together and planning their strategies to address and accomplish these goals.”

National Infant Immunization Week is a call to action for parents, caregivers and health care providers to ensure that infants are fully vaccinated against 14 vaccine-preventable diseases.

According to the CDC, the United States currently has the safest, most effective vaccine supply in its history. Scientists, doctors and health care professionals give vaccines to children only after long, thorough and careful review. The disease-prevention benefits of getting vaccines are much greater than the possible side effects for most children. Vaccination is the best way to protect others you care about from vaccine-preventable diseases.

Visit the Ocean County Health Department website at http://www.ochd.org/ to view the latest CDC Immunization Charts.

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