National Immunizations Awareness Month

National Immunizations Awareness Month

August is National Immunizations Awareness Month which brings attention to the importance of receiving proper vaccinations as a child, along with continuing to receive appropriate boosters and vaccinations as an adult. As the world is in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, CDC studies show that routine check-ups for adults and children have been disrupted, which is leading to a lack of acquiring proper vaccinations. Therefore, this year, National Immunization Awareness Month is especially important in bringing attention to this issue. This can be done through education about vaccinations and ensuring both yours and your loved ones’ immunizations are up to date. Major health institutions and organizations believe that receiving proper immunizations are considered the most cost-effective and safest way of preventing disability, disease, and death. These same institutions, like the American Academy of Pediatrics, continually call for all children and adolescents to receive routine immunization. This is due to the fact that studies have continually shown that being properly vaccinated reduces the risk of serious disease and provides society with a better and healthier quality of life. A recent CDC study estimated that for children born in the U.S. from 1994 to 2013, receiving immunizations will prevent an estimated 732,000 deaths, 322 million illnesses, and 21 million hospitalizations over the course of their lifetimes. Regardless of an individual’s age, getting proper immunizations can help prevent many formerly common diseases. Some of these include:

• Polio,
• Rubella,
• Diphtheria,
• Haemophilus Influenza,
• Measles,
• Pertussis,
• HPV,
• Tetanus,
• Meningococcal Meningitis,
• Shingles,
• Chicken Pox,
• Hepatitis
• and annual flu variants.

Even with an abundance of knowledge available on vaccine safety and the near eradication of some diseases thanks to vaccines, many CDC studies show that there are still not enough individuals receiving recommended vaccines. Multiple studies from the CDC show that less than 25% of adults between the ages of 19-64 have the recommended vaccines for shingles, Tdap, Streptococcus pneumonia, and the flu. The CDC has multiple educational resources and tools which can help individuals receive and stay up to date on immunizations. The CDC also has many studies that look at the safety and efficacy on childhood/adolescent vaccination, maternal vaccination, and adult vaccination. Please visit their website to see the materials and learn more about National Immunizations Awareness Month and how you can get involved.

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Resources:

• https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niam/index.html
• https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/immunizations/Pages/National-Immunization-Awareness-Month.aspx
• https://www.dhd10.org/public-health-matters/national-immunization-awareness-month/
• https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/partners/childhood/stayingontrack.html
• https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niam/parents/educational-resources.html
• https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pregnancy/pregnant-women/need-to-know.html