Vaccinations
Find a doctorInfants, children and adults of all ages need a variety of routine vaccinations. Vaccinations protect your health and prevent serious diseases from spreading in your community.
Aurora Health Care’s providers offer routine vaccinations in multiple convenient locations throughout Wisconsin. We provide all the preventive services you need to help your whole family stay healthy.
What is a vaccine?
Vaccines help your body build an immune response to specific diseases. They lower your risk of getting certain diseases or experiencing serious complications from them. You receive most vaccines as a needle injection, although you may also get them by mouth or nasal spray. Your provider may recommend these options or other tips to lower anxiety if you or your child have a fear of needles.
How do vaccines work?
Most vaccines contain inactive (dead) or weakened bacteria or viruses for specific diseases. Getting the vaccine doesn’t make you sick or infect you with the virus or bacteria. Instead, these inactive viruses tell your body to make antibodies, which are immune cells created to recognize specific germs. When your body encounters those germs again, antibodies help you fight them effectively.
Some vaccines, such as the COVID vaccine, contain molecules that tell your body how to create certain proteins from the bacteria or virus. They don’t contain dead or weakened germs. Instead, your body makes proteins, which trigger an immune response that creates antibodies.
Why are immunizations important?
Many infectious diseases, such as whooping cough and measles, were once widespread and often life-threatening. But thanks to vaccines, many of these diseases are extremely rare today.
Vaccines don’t just help you by building your immunity. They also help prevent the disease from spreading to your family and community. Vaccines also help you avoid problems caused by getting sick, such as:
- Missing work or school
- Paying more for health care
- Becoming unable to care for your family or yourself
- Becoming seriously sick or dying
Some vaccines, such as the flu shot, are available yearly. Others are appropriate for certain ages or situations, such as if you’re a health care worker or have an upcoming international trip.
What vaccines should I get?
The immunizations you need will vary based on your age, overall health and risk factors. You may ask your provider about which vaccines you need.
Babies and children should get vaccinated for chickenpox. If you’ve never had the vaccine or chickenpox, you may still be eligible as an adult. Find out more about the chickenpox vaccine.
The CDC advises that children receive vaccines on a specific schedule in their first few years of life. The schedule is strategically created to lower your child’s risk of severe illnesses when they’re most likely to be exposed to these illnesses. Learn more about children’s vaccinations.
Most children and adults should get the COVID vaccine. Depending on how recently you received a COVID vaccine, you may be due for another dose. Discover more about the COVID vaccine.
Each year, the flu shot protects communities against influenza (the flu). Make sure to get your flu shot before peak flu season between October and February. Read more about flu shots.
The HPV vaccine effectively prevents multiple types of cancer associated with HPV, the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI). Ideally, adolescents should get two doses of the HPV vaccine, but you may still be able to get the vaccine as an adult. Find out more about the HPV vaccine.
Health care providers recommend that adolescents and young adults get the meningococcal vaccine. This age group has a higher risk of meningococcal disease, which can cause meningitis. This rare but serious disease causes inflammation of the protective covering around your brain and spinal cord. Learn more about the meningococcal vaccine.
Without immunization, people who get pneumococcal disease may develop pneumonia and other serious infections. A pneumococcal vaccination helps protect infants, children and adults from these diseases. Discover more about the pneumococcal vaccine.
Your provider will likely start talking to you about the shingles (Shingrix®) vaccine at age 50. All adults should get vaccinated for shingles, regardless of whether they’ve had shingles or chickenpox. Read more about the shingles vaccine.
Tetanus-diphtheria (Td) vaccines, also called tetanus boosters, protect older children and adults against tetanus and diphtheria. Most people need a tetanus booster once every 10 years. Find out more about Td vaccines.
Before traveling abroad, you may need vaccines or medications that protect you against diseases more commonly found in other countries. A travel medicine specialist helps you understand what medical treatment you may need before leaving the United States. Learn more about travel vaccinations.
Some vaccines protect both you and your baby during and after pregnancy. You may need the flu shot, Tdap shot or COVID vaccine. Discover more about vaccinations during pregnancy.
Convenient, comprehensive vaccinations
We make it easy to get the right vaccines at the right time to keep you healthy. We offer:
- Easy appointment scheduling: With locations across Wisconsin, we can usually get you in quickly for a vaccination – sometimes on the same day. You can schedule vaccine appointments with your primary care provider or at an Learn more about pricing and financial assistance options.
- Vaccine reminders and history: The LiveWell app and website reminds you when you are due for a vaccine. You can also access your health record to keep track of vaccines you receive from any Aurora provider.
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