Vaccinations are a cornerstone of public health and have played a critical role in controlling and eliminating life-threatening infectious diseases. Vaccinations are a vital tool in promoting global health, preventing diseases, and ensuring the well-being of communities worldwide.
As we approach National Immunization Awareness Month (NAIM) in August, Great Plains QIN would like to share a poster we developed to outline 10 reasons to get vaccinated for you. Feel free to print, share and display. Visit the CDC site for more information on NAIM. We will continue to share resources and tools in the weeks to come.
10 Reasons to Get Vaccinated
1.Vaccine-preventable diseases have not gone away
The viruses and bacteria that cause illness and death still exist and can be passed on to those who are unvaccinated and not protected. While many diseases are no longer common in the US, global travel makes it easy for diseases to spread.
2. Vaccines will help keep you healthy
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends vaccinations throughout your life to protect against many infections. When you skip vaccines, you leave yourself vulnerable to illnesses such as shingles, flu, and HPV and hepatitis B–both leading causes of cancer.
3. Vaccines are as important to your overall health as diet and exercise
Like eating healthy foods, exercising, and getting regular check-ups, vaccines can play a vital role in keeping you healthy. Vaccines are one of the safest preventive care measures available.
4. Vaccination can mean the difference between life and death
Vaccine-preventable infections can be deadly. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 50,000 adults died from vaccine-preventable diseases in the US each year.
5. Vaccines are safe
The US has a robust approval process in place to ensure that all licensed vaccines are safe. Potential side effects associated with vaccines are uncommon and much less severe than the diseases they prevent.
6. Vaccines cannot cause the diseases they are designed to prevent
Vaccines contain either killed or weakened viruses, making it impossible to get the disease from the vaccine.
7. Young and healthy people can get very sick, too
Infants and older adults are at increased risk for serious infections and complications, but vaccine-preventable diseases can strike anyone, at any time. If you are young and healthy, getting vaccinated can help you stay that way.
8. Vaccine-preventable diseases are expensive
Diseases have a direct impact on individuals and their families, and also carry a high price tag for society as a whole, exceeding $10 billion per year. An average flu illness can last up to 2 weeks, typically with 5 or 6 missed work or school days. Adults who get hepatitis A lose an average of one month of work.
9. When you get sick, your children, grandchildren, and parents may also be at risk
Adults are the most common source of pertussis (whooping cough) infection in infants which can be deadly. When you get vaccinated, you help protect yourself and your family as well as those in your community who may not be able to be vaccinated.
10. Your family, friends and co-workers need you
In the US, millions of adults get sick from vaccine-preventable diseases each year, causing them to miss work and leaving them unable to care for those who depend on them, including children and/or aging parents.
Source: National Foundation for Infectious Diseases®
Check out our podcast: Q-Tips For Your Ears
Episode 3: Vaccines – History, Choice and What We Should Know
Understand the history of vaccines, vaccine safety, and why vaccines are important and how vaccines improve health in the community. Take a few minutes to listen and learn more.