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Summer days are fading fast, and parents throughout the country are getting their children ready for school. The younger children are picking out their book bags and lunch boxes, while the older kids are may be worrying about what style is really fashionable.

Looking at this young, generally healthy population, it is hard to imagine that they are at risk from a large number of potentially serious diseases – but they are. For this reason, August has been named as "National Immunization Awareness Month". It reminds us all about how important it is to keep immunizations high on the list of tasks to get ready for school...

Vaccines to prevent the so-called childhood diseases have only become available over the last 40 years. Before that, measles, mumps, German measles, polio, and chicken pox caused serious illness and even death to tens of thousands of children each year. Preventive vaccines for these diseases are literally lifesavers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed a recommended vaccine schedule to be sure that our children's risk for these diseases are reduced or eliminated. The link listed below contains charts of their recommendations.

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/child-schedule.htm

In recent years, new vaccines have also been developed for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, human papilloma virus, and meningitis. All of these diseases can also be life threatening. The new vaccines offer safe and effective protection from these diseases. Other vaccines are currently being developed.

Childhood vaccination is a primary focus during August when so many students are getting ready to return to school. But adults need vaccines too! Their vaccines protect against flu, pneumococcal disease, tetanus, and diphtheria. The CDC has a chart outlining the recommended time and frequency for adult vaccines. This chart is available at:

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/adult-schedule.htm#print

Being aware of the vaccines that are recommended for all age groups and getting immunized is critical to protecting ourselves and our communities. Let's work together to eliminate vaccine preventable diseases in both children and adults. Get vaccinated….

Choose Health, OntariO!

August, 2010