Programs that provide information about vaccines and the illnesses they prevent, laws related to vaccines and exemptions (i.e., immunization requirements for schools, colleges/universities, preschools and child care facilities as well as the conditions under which individuals can request exemptions, usually medical contraindications and reasons of conscience including a philosophical or religious belief), recommended immunization schedules for people of different ages, vaccine safety concerns (e.g., potential side effects), statistics on immunization coverage and disease incidence and/or access to official vaccine information statements that explain to vaccine recipients, their parents, or their legal representatives both the benefits and risks of a vaccine which are handed out whenever certain vaccinations are given. Information may also be available about groups that advocate for reform of policies relating to vaccination requirements and their agenda; and topics of special interest such as travel vaccines, bioterrorism, vaccinations and pregnancy, and immunization recommendations for health care workers.

Programs that provide inoculations or other prophylactic measures to prevent susceptible individuals from contracting specific diseases for which means of control have been developed including immunizations recommended specifically for newborns and young children, booster shots to prevent the occurrence of childhood illnesses in adolescence and adulthood, inoculations recommended specifically for pregnant women and immunizations against illnesses such as shingles and pneumonia for older adults.

Programs that inoculate infants and young children to prevent them from contracting diseases to which they are particularly susceptible including diphtheria, tetanus (lockjaw), measles, mumps, chicken pox (varicella), rubella (German measles), whooping cough (pertussis), Hib (haemophilus influenzae type B), hepatitis B, pneumococcal infections and polio. Hepatitis A vaccine is recommended for use in selected locales and for certain high-risk groups. Influenza vaccine is recommended annually for children older than six months with specific risk factors. Rotavirus vaccination (to prevent acute gastroenteritis with vomiting and severe diarrhea) is recommended during the first year of infancy. A baby should receive two or three doses depending on the brand used. Some childhood immunizations involve a series of doses at specific intervals.

Programs that inoculate susceptible individuals of all ages, but particularly people who are very young or very old, to prevent them from contracting any of the variant strains of influenza that are prevalent during the winter and spring. The vaccine may be administered as a "shot" that is given with a needle, usually in the arm, or in the form of a nasal mist.

Individuals who are generally between the ages of 18 and 25 depending on the ages that specific programs use for qualification.

Programs that provide information and/or services that deal with the topics of environmental health, communicable disease control, immunizations and other public health issues.