Vaccines are necessary to PREVENT common infections, PREVENT infections that can easily re-emerge, and PREVENT infections common in other places in the world.
IMMUNIZATION
Routine childhood immunizations are available for children who reside in Fulton County and are uninsured or are underinsured or meet other qualifying criteria.
Adult (Age 19 and over) immunizations are provided for Fulton County residents on an individual needs basis for a small or at-cost fee.
To schedule an appointment or for more information, please contact the office at 518-736-5720.
How do Vaccines work?
There are a series of steps that your body goes through in fighting off a vaccine-preventable disease:
- First - A vaccine is given by a shot or liquid by mouth. An alternative needle-free route is the use of inhalation by aerosol and powder. Most vaccines contain a weakened or dead disease germ or part of a disease germ. Other vaccines use inactivated toxins. Some of the bacteria that cause disease do so by producing toxins that invade the bloodstream.
- Next - The body makes antibodies against the weakened or dead germs in the vaccine.
- Then - These antibodies can fight the real disease germs - which can be lurking all around - if they invade the child's body. The antibodies will know how to destroy them and the child will not become ill. Most vaccines don't cause the diseases that are usually caused by viruses and bacteria.
- Finally - Protective antibodies stay on guard in the child’s body to safeguard it from the real disease germs.
After exposure to a live, weakened, or dead germ, the antibodies or memory cells fight infectious diseases and usually stay in a person's immune system for a lifetime. This protects a person from getting sick again. This protection is called immunity.