August is commonly the beginning of a new school year, end of summer, and start of cold and flu season in America. National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) aims to draw attention to the importance of vaccinations. Vaccines help protect people of all ages.
The Value Of Vaccinations
Vaccines go through series of testing before healthcare workers are able to provide to the public. These tests ensure safety and determine efficiency of each vaccine.
Children often undergo routine vaccinations throughout childhood in order to reach immunity before exposure to potentially harmful diseases. Some common vaccines are given more than once to continually build immunity against a disease. Vaccines for chickenpox, influenza, and measles, mumps, and rubella are some of the most common vaccines given in several doses.
School age children are at a higher risk of exposure during the school year. Building immunity to harmful diseases helps decrease the number of children that get sick.
Vaccines also help protect the health of the elderly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends healthy individuals age 50 and older receive the shingles vaccine. To effectively prevent shingles, 2 doses of the shingles vaccine separated by 2 to 6 months is the recommendation. Protection from shingles lasts for about 5 years. The same virus that causes chickenpox also causes shingles. Individuals who had chickenpox in the past are at risk of the virus lying dormant and re-activing later in life, causing shingles.
Along with helping individuals build immunity, vaccines also help protect those who are unable to receive a vaccine. The term “herd immunity” references the effect of the majority of a community being immune to a disease, causing a lower risk for all individuals of that community. As a result, even individuals who are unable to receive a vaccine are at a lower risk.
Resources For More Information
NIAM is a great time to learn about different vaccines and how they help protect people. Resources for health care professionals, parents, and patients are available year-round from the sources below.
Additionally, many pharmacies offer free flu vaccination clinics before the peak of flu season. Check in with your local pharmacies to see how and where you can get your annual flu shot for free. Alternatively, you may call your primary care physician’s office and ask about vaccine clinics in your area.
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Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); National Public Health Information Coalition (NPHIC); and National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID)
Image: NIAM
