Immunizations

Immunizations are an essential part of preventive health, protecting you and your family from dangerous diseases. Devendra Autar, DO, William Rowland, MD, and the team at Boca General & Family Medicine in Boca Raton, Florida, offer a comprehensive range of immunizations for adolescents and young adults. Call the office or make an appointment online today to find out if you’re up-to-date on your vaccines and get the immunizations you need to protect your health.

What are immunizations?

Immunization is a treatment to protect you from an infectious disease. Immunizations, also known as vaccines, are usually delivered as an injection. They include a diluted amount of a virus to stimulate your immune system.

Immunizations are safe and carefully tested before being released for public use. In addition to protecting you from disease, vaccines also slow or prevent the spread of illness through communities, which helps protect those who genuinely can’t have vaccines. 

How do vaccines work?

The small amount of the virus included in a vaccine imitates infection and triggers your immune system. Your immune system responds to the perceived threat by producing the antibodies necessary to fight off the virus or disease. 

Those antibodies stay in your system so that if you come into contact with those germs in the future, your body is prepared to protect itself. 

Most vaccines are provided during childhood to provide lifelong protection, although you may need additional doses of certain vaccines later in life to ensure you maintain the same levels of protection. 

The flu vaccine is one notable exception. The flu virus changes rapidly, and each flu season, a different virus sweeps the country. That’s why you should have an annual flu shot. 

What immunizations do I need?

During childhood, you should have received the following vaccines:

• Tdap
• Meningococcal (Menactra)
• Meningococcal B (Trumenba)
• HPV
• Influenza

As a teen, in addition to your annual flu shot, you may need booster shots for pertussis, tetanus, and diphtheria. It is highly recommended that you also get a meningococcal B vaccine (also called TRUMENBA®) prior to attending college.

How do I know if I need an immunization?

In addition to keeping records of your health, with your permission, your doctor can request copies of the records maintained by previous healthcare providers. Boca General & Family Medicine offers customized advice on the immunizations that you need to protect your health. 

Call Boca General & Family Medicine or make an appointment online today to talk to discuss your immunization needs.