Did you know that the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) ranks immunizations among the top 10 accomplishments in the field of pubic health during the 20th century?
While immunizations have significantly reduced the incidence of many serious infectious diseases, many vaccine-preventable diseases are still common across the United States. Any of these diseases could be serious ¾ even for healthy people.
Throughout the month of August, the CDC has teamed up with the National Public Health Information Coalition to help promote awareness of the importance of vaccinations. Ensuring you are up-to-date on the vaccinations you need can help prevent serious – and sometimes deadly – diseases.
Some may think that vaccines are just for children, but that is not the case. In fact, they’re needed throughout life to help protect people of all ages. Even if you were vaccinated at a younger age, the immunity from those vaccines can wear off, or the virus or bacteria that the vaccine protects against may change, thus reducing your immunity. It’s important to realize that while young children are particularly vulnerable to disease, many others, including older adults and those with chronic health conditions, can be at higher risk for getting some diseases or experiencing serious illness if they were to get sick.
The CDC offers a host of materials that will help you learn more about vaccine recommendations at every stage of life so that you can begin a discussion with your health care professional and determine which vaccines are right for you.
- Parents of babies – from Birth to Age 2 – http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/index.html
- Parents of children going back to school – Ages 7-18 –http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/easy-to-read/preteen-teen.html
- Young adults – http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/ACIP-list.htm
- Adults –http://www.nphic.org/niam-adults
WellAdvantage encourages you to learn more about vaccines and how to protect yourself and your loved ones. In addition, to help celebrate National Immunization Month, WellAdvantage is offering a special incentive to employers who book an On-Site Flu Clinic this fall to help #FluProof your employees. Visit https://www.welladvantage.com/services/flu-shots/ for more details on how to help curb the spread of flu at your company.