Immunization Awareness

National Immunization Awareness Month

#NIAM15 (twitter)

This is one of the most important healthcare topics for me. Immunizations can prevent illnesses, decrease suffering and are readily available.

The first book I wrote was about immunizations. This topic is one of the reasons I started writing children's healthcare books. I can't stress enough the importance of immunizations.

Immunizations (can also be called vaccines, vaccinations or shots) begin early in life. But getting vaccines is a life long process. Many vaccines are recommended for infants and children but there are vaccines needed for preteens, teens, young adults and older adults.

Sometimes we just need to "re-boot" our immune system by getting booster vaccines. That is, we have already received an original vaccine to protect us against a certain disease but as time goes on our immune system needs a reminder about that particular disease.

There is a chart that shows the schedule of vaccines at

http://shotofprevention.com/2015/08/01/national-immunization-awareness-month-niam-begins-monday-august-3rd-niam15/

There are several main points that this year's awareness would like to address:

• Vaccines are an important step in protecting against serious, and sometimes deadly, diseases.

• Vaccines are recommended throughout our lives.

• A strong provider recommendation is one of the best ways to ensure

patients get the vaccinations they need when they need them.

A great website to visit is:

http://shotofprevention.com/2015/08/01/national-immunization-awareness-month-niam-begins-monday-august-3rd-niam15/