Download National Immunization Awareness Month Fact Sheet

Facts for National Immunization Awareness Month
FACT: August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM). Each year, the goal
of NIAM is to increase awareness about immunizations from infants to the elderly.
FACT: This year, each week of NIAM focuses on a different stage of the lifespan:
o Adults (Aug. 1-7)
o Pregnant women (Aug. 8-14)
o Babies and young children (Aug. 15-21)
o Preteens and teens (Aug. 22-28)
FACT: Vaccines have eradicated smallpox and wild-type polio virus in the United States
and significantly reduced the number of other vaccine-preventable diseases.
FACT: Vaccination is one of the most effective ways to protect children and adults
against many common infectious diseases.
FACT: Vaccines are safe, and scientists continually work to make sure they become
even safer.
FACT: Vaccines are available for these preventable diseases:
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Diphtheria
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
Influenza (Seasonal Flu)
Measles
Rubella (German Measles)
Rotavirus
Poliomyelitis (Polio)
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Meningococcal
Mumps
Shingles (Herpes Zoster)
Tetanus (Lockjaw)
Typhoid Fever
Varicella (Chickenpox)
Rabies
Pneumococcal
Pertussis (Whooping Cough)
FACT: According to the CDC, more than 50,000 deaths are associated with influenza
and/or pneumonia each year.1
FACT: According to the CDC, it is estimated that about 900,000 Americans get
pneumococcal pneumonia each year and about 5-7% die from it. 2
FACT: Without vaccinations, you, your family members and friends, are at greater risk
of catching a vaccine-preventable disease.
1
2
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/deaths.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/pneumococcal/about/facts.html
FACT: There are 10 routine childhood vaccines that protect children from 14 vaccinepreventable diseases:
 DTaP: Protects against Diphtheria, Tetanus & Pertussis
 MMR: Protects against Measles, Mumps & Rubella
 HepA: Protects against Hepatitis A
 HepB: Protects against Hepatitis B
 Hib: Protects against Haemophilus influenzae type b
 Flu: Protects against Influenza
 PCV13: Protects against Pneumococcal disease
 Polio: Protects against Polio
 RV: Protects against Rotavirus
 Varicella: Protects against Chickenpox
FACT: CDC recommends women receive a Tdap vaccine in the third trimester,
preferably between 27 and 36 weeks, of each pregnancy to pass protection against
whooping cough to their infants during their first few months of life.
FACT: Vaccination with Tdap is particularly important for families with infants or anyone
who has contact with infants.
FACT: Many infants who get pertussis are infected by siblings, parents or caregivers
who might not know they have the disease.
FACT: In 2015, there were 244 cases of pertussis reported in Georgia. Fifty-six (23%)
were less than 12 months of age.
FACT: Approximately half of babies less than 1 year old who get pertussis need
treatment in the hospital.
FACT: In 2015, 24 infants, less than 12 months of age, were hospitalized in Georgia
due to pertussis.
FACT: Flu vaccination is recommended in any trimester for all women who are
pregnant or who plan to become pregnant.
FACT: CDC recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older get a flu vaccine
each year.
FACT: Hospitalization rates for flu are highest among children, especially those less
than 1 year of age.
FACT: According to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID),
approximately 700,000 to 2.2 million people in the United States are chronically infected
with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and can infect household members and sexual
partners.3
FACT: The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends five
doses of DTaP vaccine for infants and children at the following ages: two months, four
months, six months, 15 through 18 months and four through six years of age. DTaP can
also be administered at the same time as other vaccines. 4
FACT: Almost all reported cases of tetanus occur in persons who either have never
been vaccinated or who completed their primary series but have not had a booster
vaccination in the past 10 years.
FACT: About 79 million Americans are currently infected with HPV. About 14 million
people become newly infected each year. HPV is so common that at least 50 percent
of sexually active men and women get it at some point in their lives. 5
FACT: Before the varicella (chickenpox) vaccine, almost every child in the United
States (about 4 million annually) contracted chickenpox.
FACT: In 2015, there were 216 cases of varicella (chickenpox) reported in Georgia.
FACT: Before there was a vaccine, mumps was a common childhood disease in the
United States. From year to year, the number of mumps cases range from roughly a
couple hundred to a couple thousand. In some years, there are more cases of mumps
than usual because of outbreaks. In 2015, 1,057 cases were reported nationally.
FACT: In 2015 Georgia had three (3) mumps cases.
FACT: Though measles was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000,
measles is still common in other countries. Every year, measles is brought into the
United States by unvaccinated travelers, who spread measles to other people who are
not protected against measles, which sometimes leads to outbreaks. In 2015, 189
cases were reported nationally.
FACT: Children should receive a measles-containing vaccine (MMR) between 12-15
months and 4-6 years of age.
FACT: Infants 6 months through 11 months of age should receive one dose of MMR
vaccine before any international travel to protect them against measles.
FACT: In 2015, Georgia had one measles case in an unvaccinated infant with recent
international travel.
3
http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1874740#SummaryofRecommendationandEvidence
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/tetanus/who-vacc.htm
5
http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm#a5
4