August Is National Immunization Awareness Month!
Every year, thousands of adults become ill due to diseases (like whooping cough, cancers caused by HPV, and pneumonia) that can be prevented by vaccinations. National Immunization Awareness Month annually acknowledges how significant it is for everyone, regardless of age, to receive vaccinations. The CDC estimates that vaccinated children born in the United States between 1994 and 2013 will prevent roughly 322 million illnesses, 21 million hospitalizations, and 732,000 deaths over the course of their lifetimes.
Healthtrax encourages our members to be as healthy as they can be, while also promoting the overall health of our community, which is why we’ve outlined the benefits of vaccinations below.
1. Vaccinations work with the natural defenses of your and your child’s body to safely protect and reduce your risk for contracting serious diseases common in the United States, prevent hospitalizations and even death.
2. Prior to being licensed and administered, vaccines are tested by healthcare professionals to ensure they are safe to use and also effective in their treatment. After vaccinations are provided to individuals, they are monitored to continue to ensure their safety. Learn more about vaccine safety here.
3. It’s important for children to receive vaccinations during the appropriate stages of their childhood as it will provide them with immunity prior to being exposed to life-threatening diseases.
4. Vaccinations help protect people with compromised immune systems, who are more susceptible to getting sick.
5. It’s our public health obligation to not only protect ourselves, but also our communities from potential health risks. Vaccinations not only protect your own health, but the health of everyone you come in contact with, reducing the spread of contagious diseases.
6. Because vaccinations can wear off overtime, it’s important to make sure all of your vaccinations are up to date, even if you received them as a child, to protect yourself from contracting illnesses later in life when you are more vulnerable.
7. Many factors including age, career, pre-existing conditions, lifestyle, and travel can higher your risk for disease. Vaccinations help you stay protected when there are factors in your life that affect your health that you can’t control. Use this assessment tool to determine what vaccines you may need based on your pre-existing health conditions and demographics.
8. Serious illness can prevent you from being able to work or attend school. Vaccinations ensure that you stay healthy enough to maintain your responsibilities and take care of your family.
9. It’s inevitable for any medical product to cause some form of a side effect, however, if vaccines cause any, they are very minimal and subside quickly.
Healthtrax encourages our members to speak with their healthcare providers to request your immunization records and ensure you and your families are up to date on vaccinations. You can also encourage your friends, colleagues, and community to do the same. Knowing your family’s medical history helps your doctor identify patterns that may be relevant to you and your own health. You can also review the CDC’s Interactive Vaccine Guide, which provides information on recommended vaccines.
Exercise is proven to help build immunity to better combat disease, infection for prevention and cure of what may ail you. Healthtrax follows guidelines and welcomes those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to workout mask free. We ask those not vaccinated to wear their mask as a safety precaution for themselves and others.