ATLANTA – State Representative Betty Price (R-Roswell) is making constituents aware that August is designated as National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM).
During the 2017 legislative session, Rep. Price authored House Resolution 396 to recognize August as NIAM and encourage youth and adults to get vaccinated.
“When you are in good health it is easy to delay or forget to keep your immunizations current, however it is so important to know when you and your family need vaccinations in order to prevent serious, sometimes fatal, diseases,” said Rep. Price. “Between 40,000 and 50,000 adults in the United States die every year from vaccine-preventable diseases. This human tragedy is astounding, not to mention that the direct annual healthcare burden from the care of these unvaccinated individuals is estimated to be about $10 billion. Prevention is the key!”
NIAM coincides with the beginning of the school year to encourage children going back to school to get vaccinated and is also meant to urge citizens of all ages to get up to date on their vaccines and maintain complete records of their immunization history.
There are 13 major vaccine-preventable diseases, including: influenza (flu), tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), varicella (chicken pox), zoster (shingles), measles, mumps, rubella, pneumococcal disease (pneumonia), meningococcal disease (meningitis), hepatitis A, and hepatitis B.
“The effectiveness and safety of adult vaccines should yield a vaccination rate much higher than it is, however it is much lower than it could be,” added Rep. Price. “The widespread availability of vaccines has been cited as one of the ten great public health achievements, and we want to be sure people are vaccinated to help reduce vaccine-preventable diseases.”
The National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, part of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, periodically updates and modifies the vaccines needed. Furthermore, the Georgia Department of Public Health website is another resource for Georgians to learn more about vaccines. On these websites, there are links to vaccine schedules for infants and toddlers, immunization requirements for Georgia child care and school attendance, a listing of the vulnerable populations who need to get a flu shot each fall, and recommendations for aging citizens, such as the pneumonia and shingles vaccines. When a disease is globally eradicated, the vaccine is no longer necessary. For example, polio is on the verge of being completely eradicated on the earth.
“African Americans and Hispanics tend to avail themselves in lower percentages of these life-saving vaccines,” said Rep. Price. “Very few doctors or clinic settings remind patients when they are due for a specific routine vaccine. So please heed this advice. Plan to review with your physician or healthcare provider what vaccines you and your family need, obtain your vaccinations, and update your records. This action along with a healthy lifestyle, nutritious diet, optimum exercise, plenty of sleep and regular checkups and screenings, should allow you to live life with energy, vitality and a peace of mind that you are taking good care of yourself and your family.”
For more information on the CDC and Department of Public Health’s immunization recommendations and to find at immunization information for various stages of life, please visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines, and https://dph.georgia.gov/immunization-section.
For more information on HR 396, please click here.
Representative Betty Price represents the citizens of District 48, which includes portions of Fulton County. She was first elected into the House of Representatives in 2015, and currently serves on the Economic Development & Tourism, Governmental Affairs, Health & Human Services, Judiciary Non-Civil and State Planning & Community Affairs committees.
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