The health district immunizes approximately 60 percent of all newborns in Clark County. The national goal is to have 90 percent of all children immunized by 2 years old.

Because Nevada law requires that all children be fully immunized before entering school, 96 percent of school-age children are fully immunized.

Visit the Clark County School District’s website for information on which vaccinations are required for students before they begin school.

Why Immunize?

None of us want to see our children get sick. Now suppose you could make your child safe from deadly diseases. And suppose that at the same time you could also help protect other people from the same diseases. You can do all of these things with one of the easiest, and yet most powerful, health tools ever developed.

You can make sure your children get their vaccinations.

How Vaccines Can Help

Vaccinations create immunity to a disease before it has a chance to make your child sick.

Vaccines are made from the same germs (or parts of them) that cause disease. But, the germs in vaccines are either killed or weakened so they won’t make your child sick.

Your child will develop protection against future infections, the same as if he or she had been exposed to the natural disease.

Vaccinate Early

Vaccines are given at an early age because the diseases they prevent can strike when children are young. Additionally, some diseases are far more serious or common among infants or young children.

Vaccines Prevent Serious Diseases

Vaccines protect against potentially serious diseases:

• Diphtheria
• Haemophilus Influenzae type b “Hib Disease”
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• HPV (Human Papillomavirus)
• Pertussis “Whooping Cough”
• Pneumococcal Conjugate
• Polio
• Measles
• Meningococcal
• Mumps
• Rotavirus
• Rubella “German Measles”
• Tetanus “Lockjaw”
• Varicella “Chickenpox”

These diseases can be deadly. It’s easy to forget how serious they are because – due largely to vaccines – we don’t see them nearly as much as we used to.

At least one shot is needed for each of these diseases, and some require several doses for the best protection. This adds up to a lot of shots, and several are usually given at the same time.

Vaccinations are just as safe and just as effective when given together as they are when given separately. Several “combination vaccines” already exist in which multiple vaccines are given in a single shot, and this reduces the number of shots needed.

The immunization schedule developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the recommended guide on when to vaccinate your child. Visit the CDC website for the most updated child and adolescent immunization schedule.

Consequences of Not Vaccinating

If your child goes through life without being exposed to any vaccine-preventable diseases, nothing would happen. However, if your child’s exposed, there is a good chance he or she will get the disease.

Sick children miss school and can infect others. These diseases also result in doctor’s visits, hospitalizations and premature deaths.

Chances of Disease Exposure

Several of the 12 diseases are still fairly common. Some are rare in the United States, but common elsewhere in the world, so don’t assume your child is safe from them.

Visit www.vaccines.gov for more information about childhood immunizations.

The health district supports strategies that are designed to strengthen and sustain public health and improve the health of communities through immunization programs. Download the Immunization Program Policy Statement to learn more.