August is National Immunization Awareness Month: Get recommended vaccines on schedule

August is National Immunization Awareness Month. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports history shows that vaccines are the safest, most effective way to protect yourself and your family from many preventable diseases.

Everyone should get all recommended vaccines at the recommended times. It is especially important for children and adolescents to get catch-up doses of any missed vaccines or vaccine doses as soon as they can. Adults should get all recommended vaccines for their age or other risk factors such as health conditions or occupation. All adults should get tetanus boosters, seasonal flu and COVID-19 vaccines, and any vaccines missed in childhood.

Vaccines strengthen the body’s natural defenses. To be immune is to be partially or fully resistant to a specific infectious disease or disease-causing organism. A person who is immune can resist the bacteria or viruses that cause a disease, but the protection is never perfect.
Immunization is the process of being made resistant to an infectious disease, usually by means of a vaccine.  Vaccines are available at Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care-Allamakee Public Health or the Veterans Memorial Hospital Waukon and Postville Medical Clinics.

Patients can choose the convenience of either receiving the vaccines during their clinic visit with their medical provider, or attending a vaccination clinic at Allamakee Public Health, located on the upper level of the hospital. All of these locations will administer your needed vaccines and document them in the state-wide system for proper recording.

For more information and to make an appointment, call Allamakee Public Health at 563-568-5660, the Waukon Medical Clinic at 563-568-5530 or Postville Medical Clinic at 563-864-7221.