The month of August marks the nationwide initiative to stay up to date on vaccinations to prevent disease and keep the population healthy.
By Jenna Hughes
August 2023- The Journal of Healthcare Contracting
When fall flu season inevitably comes around, doctors reiterate that patients should receive a vaccination to protect themselves and others. Vaccines provide disease immunity to the individual and also the community at whole by preventing transmissible infectious diseases.
August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM), held to observe the importance of population-wide vaccination. According to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and Voices for Vaccines, among U.S. children vaccinated in the last 20 years, vaccines will prevent 21 million hospitalizations and more than 700,000 deaths.
“For people living across the nation, it is important to know that vaccines are the best way to prevent serious illness, hospitalization, and even death from infectious diseases. Vaccination is essential to creating communities of immunity and protecting vulnerable people who can’t get vaccinated,” said American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) President Dr. Tochi Iroku-Malize.
The AAFP and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) develop recommendations for vaccinations and provide age group specific immunization schedules to the population each year.
Keeping children up to date on vaccinations
Many children missed routine check-ups and childhood vaccinations because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (OASH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The pandemic affected schools across the nation from enforcing state and national vaccination requirements. According to the CDC, vaccination coverage nationally decreased to 94%, one percentage point lower than the previous year, for all required vaccines for children during the 2020-21 school year.
To get children back on track to begin school and to protect themselves and others, it is important for them to receive all of the required vaccines. If parents delay early childhood vaccinations, children are more susceptible to highly contagious diseases such as measles, whooping cough, and chickenpox. These transmissible diseases are serious, and even deadly, for young children that are unvaccinated.
“Different vaccines are given at different ages as young children’s immune systems develop. It’s important that they stay up to date with vaccinations to keep them healthy or boost immunity that can fade over time. If they get behind on vaccinations, it can open the door for the child to get sick and potentially spread that disease to other people as well,” said Dr. Iroku-Malize.
The best way to protect children from preventable diseases is through routine vaccination. One-time vaccinations throughout childhood are essential to provide immunity against certain life-threatening diseases before children are exposed. According to the CDC, vaccines use small amounts of antigens to help a child’s immune system recognize and fight serious diseases if they are to be exposed in the environment.
Vaccines are tested to ensure that they are safe for children to receive at the recommended ages, and they can be administered at routine well-being doctor’s visits that young children are likely already attending.
“Before vaccines are made available to the public, multiple stages of research, testing, and clinical trials are conducted to make sure they are safe and effective,” said Dr. Iroku-Malize. “If you have questions or are unsure about a certain vaccine or immunization in general, talk with your family physician. They will help you make the decision that’s best for you and your family’s health.”
During the pandemic, misinformation widely circulated regarding the COVID-19 vaccines and vaccines in general. False information spread publicly about vaccines is confusing and makes it more difficult to find trustworthy and scientifically-based vaccine information, said Dr. Iroku-Malize. Primary care physicians thoroughly understand the risk and benefits of vaccines, and can provide through and detailed information to assist families in the process of making the decision to vaccinate themselves and their children.
“Family physicians are well-prepared to address vaccine hesitancy and answer any questions patients may have. Primary care physicians and doctors are trusted sources of information and develop relationships with our patients. This provides the opportunity to have honest and open conversations with our patients about their concerns. When a patient expresses concern, I reassure them about the vaccine safety process,” said Dr. Iroku-Malize.
Vaccines as a benefit to the population
The benefits of vaccination to the population at large are that they protect the health and well-being of the people around you, including family, friends, coworkers, classmates, and even strangers.
“When you get vaccinated, you protect yourself and those around you. Your vaccination status impacts those who are unable to get vaccinated, such as infants under six months old and people who are immunocompromised,” said Dr. Iroku-Malize.
According to the CDC, vaccines have reduced the prevalence of diseases that once caused serious illness and death. The immunity that vaccines provide have the potential to prevent the incidence of illnesses such as the flu, COVID-19, Hepatitis B, HPV, and many more.
“Vaccines have eradicated many diseases that at one time were disabling or deadly. Without vaccines, diseases like polio could come back and threaten public health on a large scale,” said Dr. Iroku-Malize.
AAFP encourages “creating a community of immunity” through vaccination. AAFP provides the public with detailed vaccine schedules, guides patients through disease “practice planning” that encourages healthy behaviors in patients and publishes extensive patient vaccine education information. These resources inform the public on vaccine efficacy and increase trust in vaccine safety so that more of the population is encouraged to receive immunizations.
“The AAFP shares resources and tools with our physician members, and we also advocate for equitable access to vaccines year-round. During National Immunization Awareness Month in August, and year-round, we continue to promote the importance of vaccination to both family physicians and the public,” said Dr. Iroku-Malize.