Vaccinations are an essential part of immunity. This applies on both the individual and societal levels. When an entire population receives a vaccine against a certain pathogen, virus, or bacteria, then there is a much higher chance of eradicating that contagious disease. Here are three essential vaccines to stay up-to-date with to maintain both personal and communal health. Visit your local office of healthcare services to schedule yours today.

Influenza

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, everyone over the age of six should receive an annual flu shot. The flu returns predictably each year in the autumn and lasts well through the winter. Symptoms typically include a fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, fatigue, nausea, chills, and body aches. That being said, these vary from person to person. Doctors can spot someone with the flu a mile away, it seems. Since diseases adapt each year, a new vaccine is necessary each autumn or winter.

Shingles

Shingles is a disease closely related to chicken pox, which, according to the CDC, 99% of adults born before 1980 have had, whether they remember it or not. The two diseases are caused by the same virus, but the implications for adults aged 50 and up are far more severe. The shingles virus is notorious for the chills it produces in tandem with burning, shooting pain in the joints and spine, as well as tingling and numbness in extremities. This vaccine can set you up for a healthy, pain-free retirement.

COVID-19

Many healthcare services now offer COVID testing kits. If it is more convenient for you to test at a clinic, these services are available. Many pharmacies and grocery stores also sell at-home tests. While you can still contract COVID-19 after receiving the vaccine, your symptoms will most likely be considerably reduced. This is essential because it protects the lives in your community from a deadly disease by boosting herd immunity.

Visit your local healthcare service provider today to schedule a vaccine appointment, if you haven’t done so already. When your body can fight off disease for you, then you’ll be spared days, if not weeks, of pain and discomfort. Call Care Station Medical Group today for more information.