Ask the Doctor – September 2020
Q:I have always heard about the importance of vaccinations — not just for children, but for adults, too. And yet, from time to time I hear news reports about activists who claim they are dangerous. Sometimes those groups include famous people. Can you clarify why people should be vaccinated?
A: Thank you for asking this question. It’s true that there is a small but vocal number of people who misguidedly argue against vaccinations. Their stance is not supported by scientific facts. Vaccines have saved thousands upon thousands of lives worldwide. Here at home, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rigorously tests proposed vaccines to ensure their safety.
Think about polio’s devastation in the 20th century, before a vaccine was developed. In 1952 alone, for example, the virus infected nearly 60,000 American children, killing more than 3,000 of them and paralyzing thousands more. Before the 1960s, measles infected an estimated 3 million to 4 million people annually in the U.S.
Now vaccines are readily available to prevent these and numerous other childhood and adult diseases, including chicken pox, shingles, pneumonia and the flu. Meanwhile, scientists worldwide are working to develop a vaccine against the COVID-19 virus, which has killed more than 270,000 Americans in less than a year.
At Accordia Health, we urge people to take advantage of vaccinations — not just to keep themselves safe, but also to avoid infecting others. We offer immunizations for people of all ages. Give us a call to schedule an appointment, and be assured that because of the COVID-19 epidemic, everyone in our offices, including patients, wears a face mask. We also follow sanitization procedures recommended by the CDC.
You can reach us at (251) 824-8320 and find us in Bayou La Batre at 13833 Tapia Avenue. Accordia Health is a Federally Qualified Health Center. Accordia accepts all patients, regardless of their insurance status. her visit, she pledged to study how the state might replicate the Accordia model. Give our offices a call toll-free at (833) 921-1810
Accordia Health is a Federally Qualified Health Center. Accordia accepts all patients, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay and offers a wide variety of services through a sliding fee scale.
