Immunizations Specialist
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Good Choice Pediatrics Inc.
Anslem Oparaugo, MD, MPH
Pediatrician located in Las Vegas, NV
Few things are more critical to your child’s health than immunizations. At Good Choice Pediatrics, Dr. Anslem Oparaugo ensures that Las Vegas-area parents are fully informed about the vaccines needed to keep their children safe and healthy. He understands that this is an important decision and that there's a great deal of misinformation about immunizations. To learn more, and to get answers to your questions and concerns, schedule an appointment today. Online scheduling is available, or you can simply call the front office staff to set up a time to come in.
Immunizations Q&A
How do immunizations work?
Immunizations work by triggering your body’s immune system to create a lifelong defense against certain diseases. Vaccines are the substances used to build immunity and are usually delivered via injection.
A healthy immune system works by recognizing germs (antigens) and responding by producing specific antibodies to fight those germs. Once antibodies are created, they remain in your body for the rest of your life, ready to attack if you encounter that same germ in the future.
Vaccines are formulated with a tiny quantity of a specific antigen (or just a portion of the antigen). When introduced into your body, vaccines prompt your immune system to create the appropriate antibodies. Because the exposure is minimal, you don’t contract the disease.
Vaccinations give your child the weapons their bodies need to fight off some of the most deadly diseases that humankind has ever known. They’ve saved millions of lives, and the practice is among the most impactful aspects of modern medicine.
Why are immunizations so important?
Immunizations are important on personal, public, and global levels.
Personal health
Ensuring your child has all appropriate immunizations boosts his or her immune system and drastically reduces the chance that future exposure to those diseases will result in infection. Vaccines are a critical part of your child’s health, both now and into their adulthood.
Public health
The community health benefits of immunizations cannot be overstated. Many diseases that vaccinations address were once sweeping plagues that decimated entire populations. In fact, the reason those diseases don't occur in America is because of vaccinations.
Global health
There are areas of the world that still struggle with the same diseases that immunizations have all but eradicated in America. However, international travel has practically made the world much smaller, and germs can spread swiftly from one continent to another.
Childhood vaccinations ensure that Americans won’t spread deadly diseases when in other parts of the world, and will also not contract diseases prevalent in other nations.
What are some common childhood vaccines?
Numerous diseases are preventable through vaccination, including:
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Diphtheria
- Influenza
- Measles
- Mumps
- Pneumococcal disease
- Pertussis (whooping cough)
- Rotavirus
- Polio
- Rubella
- Varicella (chickenpox)
- Tetanus
Vaccines are given over multiple appointments at different stages of your child’s development. Dr. Oparaugo can discuss the scheduling with you in detail during your first office visit.
