Immunization Awareness Month
Yesterday on The PediaBlog, we reviewed some advice that will hopefully result in a happy, healthy, and normal school year for our kids. Johns Hopkins Medicine highlights the power of prevention in protecting your child’s health in school:
Children get sick more often than adults because their immune systems are not as developed. At schools and daycare centers, they are in close contact with one another, increasing the odds of sharing germs and infections. Parents can help protect children with vaccinations and by teaching (and practicing) basic good hygiene.
Today’s vaccines protect against some of the oldest, most dreaded infectious scourges of childhood. Developed through intense research efforts around the globe, they confer protection that past generations of parents could only have dreamed about.
Vaccines are critical to protect your child’s health as well as the health of those around him or her, especially the most vulnerable in our communities: the young and old with under-developed, damaged or suppressed immune systems (including those undergoing cancer treatment).
August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM). Sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NIAM is an annual campaign emphasizing the importance for children and adults to receive and stay up-to-date on recommended vaccinations:
We know the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all aspects of life, including your ability to attend important appointments and receive routine vaccinations. During NIAM, we encourage you to talk to your doctor, nurse or healthcare provider to ensure you and your family are protected against serious diseases by getting caught up on routine vaccination.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D. urges parents to be smart when considering sources of information regarding public health and immunizations:
As a medical doctor, I know all too well how important vaccinations are throughout life, helping people of all ages live longer, healthier lives. The World Health Organization estimates that immunization currently prevents 3.5-5 million deaths every year from diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, influenza and measles and tens of millions of people are alive today because of the COVID-19 vaccines.
Getting the right information about immunization in the digital age, however, can be like drinking from a fire hose. Most Americans are on the receiving end of a constant barrage of information coming at them through phones, laptops, TVs, and social media. Trying to filter fact from fiction can be a challenge, but oh so critical when it comes to public health.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services uses its evidence-based Healthy People 2030 program to focus on preventing infectious diseases by raising immunization rates:
Infants and children need to get vaccinated to prevent diseases like hepatitis, measles, and pertussis. Though most children get recommended vaccines, some U.S. communities have low vaccination coverage that puts them at risk for outbreaks. Strategies to make sure more children get vaccinated — like requiring vaccination for children who are in school — are key to reducing rates of infectious diseases.
Adolescents, adults, and older adults also need vaccines. For example, adolescents need the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine, older adults need vaccines to help prevent pneumonia, and almost everyone age 6 months and older needs a yearly flu vaccine. Teaching people about the importance of vaccines, sending vaccination reminders, and making it easier to get vaccines can help increase vaccination rates in adolescents and adults.
On its healthychildren.org webpage, the American Academy of Pediatrics explains to parents why vaccines are still needed even when the diseases they prevent are not as common as they used to be:
Many diseases are not as common as they once were because of vaccines. However, the bacteria and viruses that cause them still exist and can still make children very sick.
For example, before the Hib vaccine was developed in the 1980s, there were about 20,000 cases of Hib disease in the United States a year. Today there are fewer than 100 cases a year. However, the bacteria that causes Hib disease still exists. That is why children still need the vaccine to be protected.
In the United States vaccines protect children from many diseases. However, in many parts of the world vaccine-preventable diseases are still common. Because diseases may be brought into the United States by Americans who travel abroad or from people visiting areas with current disease outbreaks, it’s important that your child is vaccinated.
Why are pediatricians so confident that the vaccines they administer to infants, children, and teenagers are safe?
The safety and effectiveness of vaccines are under constant study. Because vaccines are designed to be given routinely during well-child visits, they must be safe. Safety testing begins as soon as a new vaccine is considered, continues until it is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and is monitored indefinitely after licensure. The AAP works closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to make recommendations for vaccine use.
Reports that children have fallen behind in getting all the vaccines recommended by pediatricians make this year’s NIAM efforts even more urgent — a point The PediaBlog drove home last month:
The news serves as a reminder to American parents to make sure they get their kids scheduled to see their pediatrician or family doctor to get caught up on immunizations before school begins next month. It’s important for parents to know that it’s safe and well worthwhile to give children COVID-19 shots at the same time other routine vaccines are administered.
It’s a small world. Don’t delay. Give your medical home a call today and let’s keep kids up-to-date on life-saving vaccines.
Read other commonly asked question about immunizations answered by pediatricians here.
source http://www.thepediablog.com/2022/08/23/immunization-awareness-month/
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