This week (April 26th through May 3rd), is National Infant Immunization Week. Officials with the Cass County Memorial Hospital (CCMH) report the Atlantic Medical Center (AMC) will be giving a $5 gift certificate to the CCMH Treasure Cove Gift Shop to parents who get their infant child (under 1 year of age) immunized this week. The AMC immunization room is open 8:30 – 11:30 am Monday – Saturday and 1:30 – 4:00 pm Monday – Friday. No appointment is necessary. Most infant vaccines are covered by private health insurance policies. The AMC immunization staff can help families who meet program guidelines access free or low-cost vaccine.

National Infant Immunization Week is an annual observance to highlight the importance of protecting infants from vaccine-preventable diseases and celebrate the achievements of immunization programs and their partners in promoting healthy communities. Babies under the age of 6 months are more likely to develop certain infectious diseases than older children.

Babies less than 6 months of age are too young to have received all the doses of vaccine that are needed to protect them from pertussis (whooping cough), flu (influenza) and other dangerous diseases that infants die from every year. It is important for the child to receive ALL of the doses required in a vaccine series to be FULLY protected. If children don’t receive recommended vaccines, there may be an increase in diseases for which there are vaccines even though they are no longer common in the U.S.

Normal vaccines a baby/toddler receives in the first two years of life are as follows:
Dtap (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis), HIB (Haemophilus Influenzae Type B), Polio, Hepatitis B, Pneumococcal, Rotavirus, Hepatitis A, MMR (measles, mumps, reubella), and Varicella (chickenpox).
Babies and children can receive up to 6 vaccinations at one time.

There is a lot of information available on vaccines. Please contact your family physician or the Atlantic Medical Center Immunization staff at 712-243-2850 with any questions or concerns you may have about vaccinations.