August is National Immunization Awareness Month

Ah, August. Generally, the month of August is associated with end-of-summer vacations, afternoons at the pool, and back-to-school shopping…and back-to-school generally means getting shots. You heard us, shots. Did you know that the month of August is officially National Immunization Awareness Month? Shots aren’t just for kids, either—it’s important that adults stay vaccinated to prevent the spread of dangerous diseases, too. In fact, there are different clinical recommendations for a variety of age groups including: infants and children, adults, pregnant women, preteens, and teens. The most common dangerous (or even deadly) diseases are the flu, the measles, and pneumonia. Combat flu season, (which usually reaches its peak activity in February) earlier rather than later. Instead of spreading diseases, let’s spread the word instead. You can share the importance of National Immunization Awareness Month with your friends, family, and community by word-of-mouth and through social channels. Facebook and Twitter aren’t just for telling the world what kind of pizza you ate for dinner last night anymore; they’re critical tools for raising public health awareness and engaging a wider audience in a way that’s short and immediate.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has created a toolkit that makes it easy for you or your organization to participate in National Immunization Awareness Month through social media. The toolkit even includes ready-made tweets of health tips and links to quizzes that deliver important information about who needs shots and when. Publicizing health topics on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter has the ability to reduce the stigma associated with disease prevention and will encourage people to take action immediately. Shots aren’t fun, but they are necessary preventive measures – not just for your own well-being, but for the health of those around you, too.