National Immunization Awareness Month

National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) was first celebrated in August 2013. During this time, medical professionals work to inform the public about the importance of vaccines. They speak out against anti-vaccine rhetoric, showing the public that vaccines are safe, effective, and necessary for controlling deadly diseases. Numerous illnesses, including smallpox, have been reduced or eliminated through consistent use of vaccinations. In the 2020s, vaccines played an important role in combatting the global COVID-19 pandemic by slowing the spread of the virus.

Because each person’s disease risks are unique, medical authorities use NIAM to remind people to work with their doctors, ensuring that their vaccinations are up to date. Certain activities and conditions, such as traveling, age, and pregnancy, may result in additional vaccination recommendations. These additional vaccines are intended to protect patients during especially vulnerable periods and prevent the spread of specific diseases to new regions. Young children often require several sets of vaccinations as they grow, protecting them from diseases that could cause lifelong complications.

Background

Immunization refers to the practice of ingesting or intentionally contracting small quantities of a disease in order to develop immunity to that disease. Immunization has been practiced across the world for hundreds of years. One of the earliest instances of the concept of immunization involves Buddhist monks who drank carefully measured quantities of snake venom in order to immunize themselves to venomous snake bites. Additionally, in seventeenth century China, farmers intentionally exposed skin tears to the cowpox virus. This granted them immunity to the much deadlier smallpox virus.

The modern science of immunization can be traced back to the scientist Edward Jenner. In 1796, Jenner successfully demonstrated that he could use controlled exposure to the vaccinia virus to immunize a young boy against smallpox. Jenner named this new process “vaccination.” By 1798, Jenner and several other doctors began the process of vaccinating England against smallpox. Though it would take centuries, this process would eventually eradicate smallpox.

After Jenner proved to the Western world that mass vaccinations helped fight against widespread illnesses, many other scientists improved upon his process. Louis Pasteur developed a vaccine containing the live cholera virus and a vaccine containing inactivated anthrax. In 1923, Alexander Glenny discovered a safe way to deactivate tetanus, leading to the development of a safe tetanus vaccine.

Beginning in the late 1970s, many groups in North America and Europe formed organized resistance movements against the use of vaccines. These groups argued that many vaccines were unsafe or untested. Some groups alleged that the use of vaccinations in children caused them to develop autism. However, these claims are in stark contrast to the continued findings of the medical community. Repeated studies show that the continued use of vaccinations has reduced or eliminated outbreaks of several deadly diseases, and that childhood vaccinations do not correlate with autism diagnoses.

In early 2020, the novel coronavirus disease COVID-19 swept across the world, causing a global pandemic. Many medical researchers rapidly developed vaccines to combat the spread of COVID-19. These vaccines were essential in slowing the spread of the illness, reducing the significant strain the pandemic caused on medical systems across the world and greatly reducing the number of deaths caused by the virus.

Overview

Each August, dating back to August 2013, the medical community observes National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM). During NIAM, doctors, nurses, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and other medical practitioners and health organizations distribute resources that help educate both adults and children on the merits of vaccinations. Though some groups within the international community continue to resist vaccinations, members of the medical community hope that continued education about vaccines will convince more people to accept their medically recommended vaccinations.

According to the CDC, most vaccines are roughly 99 percent effective. Though they will not stop every single case of a disease, they can drastically reduce the susceptibility of the larger population against that disease. Over time, this can fully wipe out a disease, eliminating the need for continued vaccinations.

The CDC notes that many people will have unique vaccination requirements. To ensure that such requirements are met, and that each person receives all their recommended vaccinations, the CDC suggests periodically consulting with a doctor. This is especially important for children and young people. Doctors recommend that infants and toddlers receive numerous vaccinations, including vaccinations for chickenpox (varicella), tetanus, measles, polio, and the flu. Receiving these vaccinations at a young age protects children during vulnerable stages in their development. Children will require additional doses of many of the vaccines during subsequent years to ensure that the vaccines remain effective.

Though vaccination schedules are often carefully managed for children, many vaccinations require continuous doses or boosters throughout adulthood. Additionally, because certain diseases are more prevalent in specific regions, people traveling to new areas may find themselves unprotected against local illnesses. For this reason, people traveling to new countries are often required to visit a doctor to ensure that they have completed all the required vaccinations for that region. Additionally, several vaccinations are recommended for both pregnant women and women who plan to become pregnant.

Some vaccinations are unsafe for people with weakened immune systems or certain illnesses. This has the potential to leave people vulnerable to deadly diseases. However, if the vast majority of a community receives their recommended vaccinations, they will protect people who are unable to receive the vaccinations. Because most of the community has been vaccinated, immunizing them to disease, the vulnerable members of the population are unlikely to ever encounter the illness. This process is called herd immunity. During NIAM, the CDC works to remind the populace that herd immunity must be actively maintained. If too many people decline their vaccinations, previously controlled diseases may be able to infect vulnerable communities. If left unchecked, diseases that vaccinations have made rare might return to pandemic status.

Bibliography

“A Brief History of Vaccination.” The Immunisation Advisory Centre, Oct. 2022, www.immune.org.nz/vaccines/vaccine-development/brief-history-vaccination. Accessed 1 May 2024.

“National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 6 July 2023, www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niam/index.html. Accessed 1 May 2024.

“National Immunization Awareness Month.” National Today, 2024, nationaltoday.com/national-immunization-awareness-month/. Accessed 1 May 2024.

“Vaccine History Timeline.” Immunize.org, 2024, www.immunize.org/timeline/. Accessed 1 May 2024.