Vaccinations

Vaccinations provide your immune system with the tools it needs to better protect you from contagious diseases. Lauren Reilly, MSN, FNP-BC, at Collierville Family Health in Collierville, Tennessee, provides vaccinations for all ages, including children and adults. To find out more about what vaccinations you need, call the office or request an appointment online today.

What are vaccinations?

Vaccinations are medical treatments that help build up your immunity against common contagious diseases. 

Vaccines contain a small amount of a weakened or dead germ or a unique property of a germ. When administered into the body, your immune system recognizes the germ or germ component as a foreign agent and develops antibodies to kill the germ.

When your body comes in contact with the germ at another point in time, your immune system recognizes the germ and sends out the antibodies to kill it. These antibodies may prevent you from getting sick or developing any serious symptoms. 

Vaccinations protect you from getting sick without you ever getting sick. 

What types of vaccinations do I need?

The types of vaccinations you need depend on your age, immunity status, and health risks. Mrs. Reilly at Collierville Family Health follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) immunization schedule to determine what type of vaccines you need. She provides vaccines for children and adults. 

Mrs. Reilly also runs bloodwork to check your titers, measuring your level of immunity against various diseases. She uses the lab data to assess your immune status and determine what types of vaccinations you need for immunization.

Your immunity against a disease may decline over time. That’s why you get booster shots for things like tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) every 10 years or so.

For contagious germs that can change over a short period of time, like the flu and COVID-19, you may need more frequent vaccinations. Mrs. Reilly provides flu and COVID-19 (Moderna®) vaccines.

Are vaccinations safe?

Vaccinations are safe. They undergo extensive testing and evaluation before they’re offered to the general public. 

You may have side effects after getting a vaccine, such as a fever, body aches, or soreness at the site of the injection. These side effects only last a short period of time and are milder than the symptoms you may have from the disease itself. 

Though vaccinations benefit most people, not everyone can get vaccinated. If you’re immunocompromised (a weakened immune system) or you had an allergic reaction to a vaccine, Mrs. Reilly may recommend delaying or not getting certain vaccinations.

To schedule your vaccinations, call Collierville Family Health or book an appointment online today.