KEEP IMMUNIZATIONS UP TO DATE TO HELP PREVENT DISEASE, ADVISES MCG HEALTH SYSTEM PHYSICIAN

July 15, 2004

Augusta, Ga. -- Last year’s flu season and subsequent vaccine shortage underscored the importance of immunizations in helping to prevent disease.

Now, as the school season begins and flu season lies just around the corner, physicians want to remind parents and others of the importance of timely immunizations for both their children and themselves. “To put it simply, vaccines save lives,” says Dr. Dennis Murray, pediatrician and vaccine specialist at MCG Health System. “There is no reason why any healthy adult or child should not receive any of the recommended vaccines currently available. Immunizations help ensure their continued health and the health of others now and in the future.”

Thanks to vaccines, many life-threatening diseases have now become rare in the U.S. But we need to continue to get vaccinated to ensure that these diseases do not make a comeback. And as last year’s flu season demonstrated, even those diseases commonly considered “not deadly” could prove otherwise due to different strains and variations in diseases. “It’s just wise to be prepared,” says Dr. Murray. “If you can get a vaccine that will reduce your risk of becoming ill, it makes good sense to go ahead and get it.”

Some may worry about the safety of vaccines or fear that vaccines will cause them to develop a disease. As Dr. Murray explains, numerous studies have been performed proving the safety of vaccines. “Vaccines are made up of either killed or inactivated bacteria or viruses (or pieces of inactivated bacteria or viruses) or live-attenuated viruses. None cause the development of diseases in healthy persons,” he says. “Side effects from killed vaccines may include soreness at the injection site and fever. Live-attenuated viruses may cause some fever and, in the case of the measles vaccine, a non-infectious rash. If a child develops a body rash after receiving the chickenpox vaccine, parents should contact their pediatrician’s office for advice.”

Dr. Murray offers the following checklist, adapted from the National Partnership for Immunization, to offer guidance for people of all ages seeking information on necessary immunizations.

Immunization Checklist for Adults, Adolescents and Children

• Hepatitis A:
• Hepatitis B:
• Influenza:
• Measles, mumps, rubella:
• Meningococcal:
• Pneumococcal:
• Diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis and Tetanus-diphtheria:
• Chickenpox:
• Haemophilus influenzae type b:
• Inactivated poliovirus vaccine:

Remember, vaccines are safe, simple and effective. Talk to your pediatrician or family doctor to ensure you and your family are up to date on all necessary immunizations.

MCG Health System is composed of three separate organizations -- MCG Health, Inc. and the clinical services offered by the faculty employees of the Medical College of Georgia and the members of the Physicians Practice Group. The physicians of MCG Health System are community physicians and faculty employees of the Medical College of Georgia and the Physicians Practice Group, not employees of MCG Health Inc. MCG Health, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation operating the MCG Medical Center, MCG Children’s Medical Center, the MCG Sports Medicine Center, MCG Ambulatory Care Center, the Georgia Radiation Therapy Center and related clinical facilities and services. MCG Health, Inc. was formed to support the research and education mission of the Medical College of Georgia and to build the economic growth of the CSRA, the state of Georgia and the Southeast by providing an environment for faculty employees of the Medical College of Georgia and the Physicians Practice Group and community physicians to deliver the highest level of primary and specialty health care. For more information, please visit

• Contact Information:

  Danielle Wong
  Public Relations
  MCG Health, Inc. 
  Phone: (706) 721-5731
  Fax: (706) 721-5735