August is National Immunization Awareness Month or NIAM. It is celebrated annually to illustrate the importance of receiving vaccinations for all age groups. By observing this every year, we can learn and educate others on how important it is to stay healthy and talk with your healthcare providers. The goal of Healthy People 2030 is to increase the number of people receiving vaccines and lower diagnoses of diseases that vaccines can prevent. Interested in learning more about this study? Click here to read more.
Recommended Vaccines for Adults
Routine vaccines you should stay up to date on:
- COVID-19 vaccine
- Flu vaccine
- Tdap vaccine (tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough) or Td vaccine
All adults aged 27 to 49 should be up to date on these vaccines in addition to those above:
- Hepatitis B vaccine
- MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, and rubella)
- Chickenpox vaccine
- HPV vaccine
You can also click here to take a quiz from the CDC to see what you might need based on your lifestyle, travel, and other factors.
Encouraging As an Employer
As an employer, there are some things that you can do to encourage your employees to stay up to date on their vaccinations. First, you can use August as an observance period for National Immunization Month. This can be done by providing resources through emails, on bulletin boards, in open discussions, etc. You can also utilize the Human Resources department to encourage employees to take advantage of their health insurance benefits programs and HSA resources to receive vaccines. Furthermore, the CDC will sponsor in-person vaccine clinics for employees. There are several resources at your disposal to help your employees remain healthy and decrease absenteeism and healthcare costs. Below are some tools that you can share with your organization.
Keep yourself and your loved ones safe and healthy!