Immunizations

The readiness of our military forces relies on the health of our servicemembers. To ensure optimum medical protection for our forces, vaccinations are part of the required pre-deployment preparations. Some deployments require more pre-deployment immunizations than others, dependent upon which part of the world you are deploying to. These preventive medical measures protect our personnel from diseases which may be detrimental to the effectiveness of the force, which in turn could compromise the mission.

Upon entering and throughout military service, service members are required to receive specific vaccinations (see Vaccines Typically Administered to Military Personnel.) Additionally, certain immunizations are required for those forces deploying or traveling to high risk areas. These immunizations are outlined in the Joint Publication on Immunizations and Chemoprophylaxis and include:

• Anthrax (6 dose series)
• Cholera (2 doses)
• Hepatitis A (2 doses)
• Hepatitis B (3 doses)
• Japanese Encephalitis (3 doses)
• Meningococcal Disease (1 dose)
• Plague (3 doses)
• Rabies (3 doses)
• Typhoid (1 or 2 doses)
• Yellow Fever (1 dose)

Additionally, the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine provides Deployment Medical Information Sheets for service members deploying overseas. The purpose of the Deployment Medication Information Sheets is to provide the soldiers and concerned family members with information on vaccines and other preventive medications they will receive in preparation for movement and/or during their deployment. Each DMIS provides basic information in laymen's terms and is divided by subheadings of uses, how to use, side effects, precautions, drug interactions, and notes.