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Important notice:

Starting June 1^st, 2010, ALL vaccinations will be by appointment only. To schedule your appointment contact your nearest LaPorte County Health Department office.

Immunization Clinics

Both branches are open Monday –Friday 8:00 -4:00 pm. Please note that, when scheduling, vaccination clinics are open one day a week.

Michigan City Office
302 West 8th St. Suite 3
Michigan City, IN 46360
Phone: (219) 874-5611 ext 7780
Fax: (219) 873-3018

Clinic hours: Tuesday

8:30 am-11am and 12 pm- 3 pm.

LaPorte Office
809 State St., Suite 401 A
LaPorte, IN 46350
Phone: (219) 326-6808 or (219) 874-5611 ext 2200
After hours phone: (219) 326-6808 ext 2590
Fax: (219) 325-8628

Clinic Hours: Monday

8:30 am- 11 am and 12pm- 3pm.

Here we have identified a variety of internet resources that provide useful information for both parents and health care providers.

Vaccines for Children (VFC) is a federally funded program created to help families of children who many not otherwise have access to vaccines by providing free vaccines to health care providers who serve them. If your child meets the eligibility criteria, the vaccine will always be provided free of charge. Under law, however, health care facilities have been granted the ability to charge what is called an “administrative fee”. For families this means that some facilities will charge a small fee (under $15) for administering the vaccine, they will not charge for the vaccine itself.

The LaPorte County Health Department is an active participant of this program. Through our immunization clinics, we provide vaccines for children from birth through 18 years of age (under 19) who meet the eligibility criteria. In addition to this program, the Health Department has acquired additional resources to provide vaccines for children who do not quality for VFC funded vaccines. Contact your nearest branch for more information.

Chickenpox is a disease caused by the varicella zoster virus. It is a common childhood disease that is usually mild, but may cause serious complications. The most notable symptom of the disease, and often the first sign in children, is a skin rash of blister-like lesions that cover the body. Serious complications include bacterial infection of the skin, swelling of the brain, and pneumonia. Although all children are at risk of contracting the virus, persons older than 15 years of age and infants younger than 1 year have the greatest risk of experiencing complications.

Want to know more about chickenpox? Find out what the CDC’s Pink Book says about chickenpox.

Are you getting vaccinated against chickenpox? Read CDC Vaccine Information Statements for chickenpox vaccinations.

Diphtheria is caused by the bacterium, Corynebacterium diphtheria. The disease causes a thick covering in the back of the throat. It can lead to breathing problems, paralysis, heart failure, and even death. Approximately five to ten percent of all cases result in death; however, higher death rates are seen (up to 20%) in persons younger than 5 and older than 40 years of age.

Do you want to know more about diphtheria? See what the CDC’s Pink Book says about diphtheria.

Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib) is a cause of bacterial infections that are often severe, predominantly among infants. It can cause multiple invasive diseases, affecting many organ systems. The most common types of invasive disease are meningitis, epiglottitis, pneumonia, arthritis, and cellulitis.

Want more information on Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib)? Read the CDC’s Pink Book on Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib).

Are you getting vaccinated against Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib)? Read CDC Vaccine Information Statements for Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib) vaccine.

Hepatitis A is an acute infection of the liver that is caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV). The clinical course of hepatitis A is practically identical to other types of acute viral hepatitis. The likelihood of symptomatic illness from HAV infection is directly related to age. For instance, 70% of children younger than 6 years of age will not show signs of the disease. For cases that do present with symptoms, the illness usually occurs suddenly. Symptoms can include fever, loss of appetite, general feeling of being unwell (malaise), nausea and yellowing of the skin, among others. Persons with hepatitis A often have to be hospitalized (up to about 1 person in 5).

Want more information on Hepatitis A? Read the CDC’s Pink Book on Hepatitis A.

Are you getting vaccinated against Hepatitis A? Read CDC Vaccine Information Statements for Hepatitis A vaccine.

Hepatitis B is a serious disease that affects the liver. It is caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV), which can lead to acute (short term) illness or chronic (long-term) infections. The symptoms of the acute illness are very similar to that of hepatitis A, they include: loss of appetite; tiredness; pain in muscles, joints, and stomach; diarrhea and vomiting; and yellowing of the skin. Some people (approximately 5%) who have the acute illness go on to develop chronic HBV infection. The risk of chronic HBV infection decreases with age. For example, up to 90 % of infants, 50% of children 1 to 5 years of age, and 5 % of adults progress to the chronic infection. Chronic infection can be very serious and often leads to: liver damage (cirrhosis); liver cancer; and death. An estimated 3,000 to 4,000 persons die of hepatitis B-related cirrhosis each year in the United States, Similarly, an estimated 1,000 to 1,500 persons die from hepatitis B- related liver cancer.

Want more information on Hepatitis B? Read the CDC’s Pink Book on Hepatitis A .

Are you getting vaccinated against Hepatitis B? Read CDC Vaccine Information Statements for Hepatitis B vaccine.

Influenza, commonly called “the flu”, is a contagious respiratory illness caused by the influenza viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness, and may even lead to death. On average, an estimated 5% to 20% of the United States population gets the flu. Of these people, more than 200,000 are hospitalized and about 36,000 people die from flu-related complications. The symptoms of the flu usually come on suddenly and may include: fever; cough; sore throat; runny of stuffy nose; body aches; headache; chills; and sometimes diarrhea and vomiting. The main way the flu is spread is from person to person in respiratory droplets of coughs and sneezes.

Measles (Rubeola) is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the measles virus. The first sign of a measles infection is a fever, which can reach as high as 103° to 105° F. Cough, runny nose (coryza), or eye infection (conjunctivitis) often follow shortly after. Measles’ hallmark symptom is a maculopapular rash that usually lasts 5-6 days. Nearly 1 out of every 3 measles cases experience one or more of the following complications: diarrhea; ear infection (otitis media); pneumonia; brain swelling (encephalitis); and death. Children younger than 5 and adults 20 years of age and older are more likely to experience complications.

Do you want to know more about measles? Find out what the CDC’s Pink Book says about measles.

Are you getting vaccinated against measles? Read Vaccine Information Statements for the Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccine.

Mumps is a contagious disease that is caused by the mumps virus. Mumps usually starts out like a cold. The first signs of the illness may include: muscle pain (myalgia); loss of appetite (anorexia); tiredness/ feelings of illness (malaise); headache; and low-grade fever. The most common symptom of mumps is swelling of salivary glands and appears shortly after the initial signs. Serious but rare complications can occur as a result of the infection. They include meningitis; swelling of the testes or ovaries; and inflammation of the joints. Hearing loss is also a potential complication of infection.

Do you want to know more about mumps? Find out what the CDC’s Pink Book says about mumps.

Are you getting vaccinated against mumps? Read Vaccine Information Statements for the Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccine.

Polio (poliomyelitis) is a disease caused by a virus that can lead to paralysis and death. Most of the time polio infections are asymptomatic (up to 95% of all cases). However, persons that do not show signs of illness are still able to spread the virus. For cases that do present with signs, polio can cause: meningitis (infection of the covering of the brain/spinal cord); paralysis on one side of the body (usually the legs); paralysis of muscles used for breathing; muscle weakness that can come back later in life; lifelong disability; and in rare cases, polio can cause death. Polio is now rarely found in the United States, but is still common in many places around the world. Because of international travel, polio vaccination remains important.

Do you want to know more about polio? Find out what the CDC’s Pink Book says about polio.

Are you getting vaccinated against polio? Read Vaccine Information Statements for the polio vaccine.

Rotavirus is a virus that causes severe diarrhea, mostly in babies and young children. It is often accompanied by vomiting and fever. These symptoms generally last from 3 to 7 days. Rotavirus infection in infants and young children can lead to severe diarrhea, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance and metabolic acidosis. Rotavirus poses a risk to all children. For instance, there are an estimated 3 million cases of rotavirus per year and 95% of children have been infected by their 5^th birthday. It is important to get your child vaccinated against rotavirus. Not only does it cause severe diarrhea, but your child can become infected with the virus multiple times. Only 38% of children become immune to the virus after their first infection.

Do you want to know more about rotavirus? Find out what the CDC’s Pink Book says about rotavirus.

Is your child getting vaccinated against rotavirus? Read Vaccine Information Statements for the rotavirus vaccine.

Rubella, often called “German measles”, can cause serious health problems for children. Rubella is a different disease than measles and is caused by a different virus. As with measles, rubella causes a rash. This rash is generally fainter than the measles rash and lasts about 2 to 3 days. A slight fever and the general feelings of discomfort are also possible symptoms. Arthralgia (joint pain) and arthritis are common symptoms in adult cases. Rubella poses a significant risk for unborn babies. If a woman gets rubella during pregnancy, the disease can lead to serious birth defects, premature delivery or fetal death.

Do you want to know more about rubella? Find out what the CDC’s Pink Book says about rubella.

Are you getting vaccinated against rubella? Read Vaccine Information Statements for the Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccine.

Pneumococcal disease is an infection caused by a bacterium called Streptococcus pneumonia (pneumococcus). The bacterium can cause blood infections (bacteremia), pneumonia, and bacterial meningitis (infection of the covering of the brain), mostly in young children. Each year in the United States, there are an estimated 175,000 hospitalized cases of pneumococcal pneumonia, 50,000 cases of bacteremia and 3,000 to 6,000 cases of meningitis. Furthermore, pneumococcal disease causes more than 6,000 deaths annually.

Do you want to know more about pneumococcal disease? Find out what the CDC’s Pink Book says about pneumococcal disease.

Tetanus (lockjaw) is a serious bacterial infection that causes painful tightening of the muscles, usually all over the body. It can lead to “locking” of the jaw, which prevents the person from opening the mouth or swallowing. Tetanus leads to death in approximately 1 out of every 10 cases.

Do you want to know more about tetanus? Find out what the CDC’s Pink Book says about tetanus.

Pertussis (whooping Cough) is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection. Pertussis can be very serious for young children, especially infants. The illness is initially similar to an ordinary cold; with signs such as runny nose, sneezing, low-grade fever and a mild, occasional cough. Over a few weeks time, the cough gradually becomes more severe until it becomes the characteristic “whooping cough”. This cough is described as a burst of numerous rapid coughs. At the end of the burst, the person attempts to take long breath in which is usually accompanied by a characteristic high-pitched whoop. During these coughing attacks, the person, especially children and young adults, will appear very ill and distressed. Vomiting and exhaustion commonly follow such episodes. The most common complication, and the cause of most pertussis related deaths, is bacterial pneumonia. Young infants are at the highest risk for pertussis associated complications.

Do you want to know more about Pertussis (whooping cough)? Find out what the CDC’s Pink Book says about pertussis.