Dallas Mavericks forward Shawn Marion and Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Lanier teamed up with NBA Cares and the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM) today to bring Vaccines for Teens to the Dallas community. Vaccines for Teens is a national awareness campaign designed to educate teens and their parents about the importance of vaccination against serious and potentially life-threatening diseases.
Teens are at risk for serious infections such as influenza, meningococcal disease (meningitis) and pertussis (whooping cough). The basketball superstars and local community leaders agree that it is now more important than ever to help protect preteens and teens in the Dallas area from potentially life-threatening complications of these diseases. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other leading medical groups recommend vaccination for preteens and teens against influenza, meningococcal disease HPV and pertussis.
“Vaccination can help teens grow into healthy adults and should be encouraged for the students at Sam Tasby Middle School and for teens throughout the Dallas area,” said Marion. “In basketball, the best offense is a good defense, and the same holds true for protecting teen health.”
“With teens in such close contact in classrooms and on school sports teams, these infectious diseases can spread easily from student to student,” said Carlos Oliveira, M.D. of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. “Vaccination is a safe and effective way to help teens stay protected, yet immunization rates remain low in this population.”
Teens and their parents can learn more about risk factors for getting sick with vaccine-preventable diseases, and the benefits of vaccination, by visiting www.vaccinesforteens.net.