With recent increases in cases of preventable diseases across the state and country, the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) is reminding parents during National Infant Immunization Week (April 21-28) of the importance of protecting infants and children from vaccine-preventable diseases.
April 24-30 also marks World Immunization Week, which recognizes the lifesaving impact of vaccines worldwide. This year’s theme is “Immunization for All is Humanly Possible.”
Ensuring infants and young children keep up with their well-child appointments and receive their recommended shots by age 2 is the best way to protect them from serious childhood diseases like measles, mumps, diphtheria, rubella and more.
“The fact is vaccines save lives. Making sure children are up to date on all the recommended vaccines is the best way to protect them from preventable, infectious diseases,” said outgoing N.J. Health Commissioner Kaitlan Baston, MD, MSc, DFASAM. “Vaccines go through rigorous testing before we can use them, and they keep our children safe from the worst effects of illnesses.”
Each year, the New Jersey Vaccines for Children (VFC) program provides approximately 1.6 million doses of vaccines to providers throughout the state. The program, which has helped to boost childhood immunization levels and reduce disparities in coverage, expands access to vaccinations through health-care partners to immunize uninsured and underinsured children according to the recommended immunization schedule. In New Jersey, there are over 750 health-care providers enrolled in the program. You can find a location here.
Pregnant individuals can provide additional protections to newborns by ensuring they are up to date on vaccines. Speak to a health-care provider for more information on getting Tdap (for whooping cough), flu and COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy, which can provide protection for newborns until they are old enough to get their own shots.
