August is National Immunization Awareness Month

August 24-30 spotlights vaccines for adults and seniors

During August’s National Immunization Awareness Month, experts remind Americans that vaccines save lives and protect health. Some people think that vaccines are only for children. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tells us that vaccines also are important and encouraged for adults. To promote adult vaccination, the CDC also has named August 24-30 as “Not Just for Kids” week, promoting the fact that adults, too, should be immunized.

Seniors in particular are at higher risk of side effects and even death from a number of the preventable diseases targeted by vaccines. Unvaccinated seniors might pass dangerous illnesses on to children and others. Yet only a small percentage of seniors have received all the vaccinations that are recommended for them.

This isn’t just a national issue: In a new report, “Life-Course Immunization: A Driver of Healthy Aging,” the Global Coalition on Aging called for a greater awareness worldwide of the role of vaccines as a preventive measure as the number of people older than 65 soars worldwide.

In the next post this month, we will share more information about which diseases specifically seniors should be on guard against, with vaccines as a preventative measure.

• Source: Assisting Hands® in association with IlluminAge, © IlluminAge 2014.