UTICA — Whether you are having a baby, traveling to a new country, or preparing your children to go back to school, vaccines are recommended and often times required to help protect you and your family, according to the Oneida County Health Department.

“Vaccines are an extremely valuable tool to protect the community from serious and deadly diseases,” said Oneida County Health Director Daniel W. Gilmore.

“Contact your healthcare provider to make sure you are up to date. Call your children’s pediatrician to make sure they are up to date. If you do not have a healthcare provider, you should contact the county health department,” Gilmore added.

The Oneida County Health Department Rome clinic, 300 W. Dominick St., is open on Mondays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the Utica clinic, 406 Elizabeth St., is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Some vaccines for children have no charge, while there are costs for other vaccines. The county clinic accepts many different insurance plans.

Appointments are preferred and can be made by calling 315-798-5747. People can also call that number for additional information.

New York State requires specific vaccines for school children on a specific schedule. If not up to date, your child could be excluded from attending school, the department adds.

Make sure your children are prepared by being up to date on all required immunizations and recommended vaccinations. Do not wait to schedule appointments. Providers may not be able to accommodate last minute appointments.

“Vaccines protect us all from serious diseases,” the Health Department announcement said. “Recently, a county in New York State had a reported case of polio, a disease that is prevented through vaccines. It should be a reminder that vaccine-preventable diseases are still a threat. Vaccination is the best protection,” the health department announcement added.

Vaccine recommendations vary, and the recommendations depend on many factors including age, pregnancy, lifestyle, and health conditions, the department said. Both COVID-19 and flu vaccines are recommended to everyone six months or older.

The Hepatitis A vaccine was introduced in the mid-1990s and now is part of children’s routine vaccinations. However, those of us who are older may have not received it yet.

The need for other vaccines such as shingles, pneumococcal, or HPV depend on a person’s age, occupation, health status, and other risk factors.

It is also important to consider certain vaccines when traveling outside of the United States especially in countries where vaccine preventable diseases are more present.