10 Reasons to Get Vaccinated

  1. Vaccine-preventable diseases have not gone away.
    The viruses and bacteria that cause illness and death still exist and can be passed on to those who are unvaccinated and not protected. While many diseases are no longer common in the US, global travel makes it easy for diseases to spread.Reason #1: Vaccine-preventable diseases have not gone away
  2. Vaccines will help keep you healthy.
    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends vaccinations throughout your life to protect against many infections. When you skip vaccines, you leave yourself vulnerable to illnesses such as shingles, flu, and HPV and hepatitis B–both leading causes of cancer.Reason #2: Vaccines help keep you healthy
  3. Vaccines are as important to your overall health as diet and exercise.
    Like eating healthy foods, exercising, and getting regular check-ups, vaccines can play a vital role in keeping you healthy. Vaccines are one of the safest preventive care measures available.Reason #3 Vaccines are as important to your overall health as diet and exercise
  4. Vaccination can mean the difference between life and death.
    Vaccine-preventable infections can be deadly. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 50,000 adults died from vaccine-preventable diseases in the US each year.Reason #4: Vaccine can mean the difference between life and death
  5. Vaccines are safe.
    The US has a robust approval process in place to ensure that all licensed vaccines are safe. Potential side effects associated with vaccines are uncommon and much less severe than the diseases they prevent.Reason #5: Vaccines are safe
  6. Vaccines cannot cause the diseases they are designed to prevent.
    Vaccines contain either killed or weakened viruses, making it impossible to get the disease from the vaccine.Reason #6: Vaccines can't give you the disease they are designed to prevent
  7. Young and healthy people can get very sick, too.
    Infants and older adults are at increased risk for serious infections and complications, but vaccine-preventable diseases can strike anyone, at any time. If you are young and healthy, getting vaccinated can help you stay that way.Reason #7: Young and healthy people can get very sick too
  8. Vaccine-preventable diseases are expensive.
    Diseases have a direct impact on individuals and their families, and also carry a high price tag for society as a whole, exceeding $10 billion per year. An average flu illness can last up to 2 weeks, typically with 5 or 6 missed work or school days. Adults who get hepatitis A lose an average of one month of work.Reason #8: Vaccine-preventable diseases are expensive
  9. When you get sick, your children, grandchildren, and parents may also be at risk.
    Adults are the most common source of pertussis (whooping cough) infection in infants which can be deadly. When you get vaccinated, you help protect yourself and your family as well as those in your community who may not be able to be vaccinated.Reason #9: When you get sick, your children, grandchildren, and parents are at risk, too
  10. Your family and co-workers need you.
    In the US, millions of adults get sick from vaccine-preventable diseases each year, causing them to miss work and leaving them unable to care for those who depend on them, including children and/or aging parents.Reason #10: Everyone deserves a chance to stay healthy

Talk with a healthcare professional about vaccines recommended for you and your family

Updated July 2023

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention