Xiaoyu Liu / Verywell
Immunizations are a major part of childhood doctors visits.
Some vaccines, likeTdap, need a booster every 10 years.
(The CDC also recommends a dose of Tdap during each pregnancy.)
Xiaoyu Liu / Verywell
Others, like the shingles (herpes zoster) vaccine, arent necessary until youre 50.
A lot can happen during this time.
Maybe a year goes by, and you forget to make a physicaland then another year goes by.
Maybe you lose access to health insurance or live in apharmacy desert.
Or maybe nobody ever emphasized why vaccines were important in the first place.
She explains how this happens, and how she encourages people to get back on track.
Verywell Health: In your experience, what is the biggest barrier to routine vaccinations overall?
Dr. Shepherd:Education and awareness are the biggest barriers.
People still dont have a firm grasp of what vaccines do or why they help.
Some people dont focus on the minutiae; theyre happy enough knowing a vaccine will protect them.
But another school of people are vaccine hesitant because theyve heard something.
Maybe theyve heard of a family member who got the flu shot and later got the flu.
I take this opportunity to tell this second group of people that a vaccine is not a cure.
Were not trying to say this is a cure, as that is not what it is.
You dont build a fire stationaftersomething is on fire.
Verywell Health: What is the biggest barrier to vaccination among minority populations?
Is it the same barrier?
Dr. Shepherd:Lack of education and lack of awareness are still barriers to vaccination rates in minority groups.
But in certain communities, there are added barriers, too.
In particular, access is an issue.
People maywantto get vaccinated, but theres only one health center and the hours are limited.
These access issues are the same bang out of issues that prevent certain minority communities from voting.
Dr. Shepherd:I definitely see hesitancy, especially with the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine.
And the hesitancy almost always comes from parents of potential vaccine recipients.
But some strains are linked to cancer.
The HPV vaccine prevents against these strains.
The CDC recommends that all preteens between the ages of 11 and 12girls and boysget an HPV vaccine.
The vaccine regimen for this age group consists of two doses spaced six to 12 months apart.
Parents may worry that if their daughter gets an HPV vaccine, will she start having sex too soon?
To alleviate these concerns, I compare it to birth control.
Verywell Health: Which vaccine seems easiest to encourage someone to get?
This is mainly because of the pertussisor whooping coughcomponent.
Whooping cough is highly contagious andvery dangerous for babies.
So most pregnant people are receptive to getting the Tdap vaccine.
In other words, will any tactics from COVID vaccine distribution change how providers talk about vaccines in general?
Dr. Shepherd:You get more vaccine buy-in from communities when illnesses impact them in some way.
With COVID, everyone was impacted; nothing has ravaged society like COVID-19 other than polio.
How could someone begin to find out which routine vaccinations they even need?
Verywell Health:What do you think is the most important thing to improve access to routine vaccinations?
Dr. Shepherd:Access requires some degree of relationshipsome punch in of healthcare provider on your side.
It doesnt mean you have to go to your doctor every month.
But you should take the time to find someone who will advocate for you.
Because if youre ever in dire need, you wont necessarily have time to find a doctor.
Youll want somebody in your corner.
Verywell Health: What about for people who dont have health insurance or easy access to a doctor?
They are more likely to have some of the routine vaccinations in stock than your corner pharmacy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Immunization schedules.
Recommended child and adolescent immunization schedule for ages 18 years or younger, United States.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Immunization schedules.
Recommended adult immunization schedule for ages 19 years or older, United States.
U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.HPV.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination: what everyone should know.
