Protect yourself and your community this month: Get your vax!

It’s back-to-school season! Time to stock up on supplies: New notebooks, pencils, a calculator and perhaps the all-important “cootie shot.”

We kid! We know a cootie shot isn’t real. But this month is a great time to catch up on real vaccinations. It’s National Immunization Awareness Month! This month is held every August. It outlines just how important it is for everyone to stay up-to-date on vaccinations

Vaccines are safe and easy ways to help prevent the spread of some scary diseases. They protect the people who receive them, and they also protect people around them. This is called herd immunity. It helps to keep people who can’t get vaccinated from getting sick. Such people include those with weak immune systems, pregnant people and infants.

We think about getting vaccines as babies, or for students returning to school. But everyone needs certain vaccinations, no matter how old they are. National Immunization Awareness Month breaks this down by week and age. Get Ready has lots of information on how important vaccines are for everyone. Check out information for kids, teens and adults.

With flu season vaccine finder tool from HealthMap.

just around the corner, now is a great time to talk to your health care provider about which vaccines you might need. Not sure where to go for vaccines? Check out this

Hop to it! National Immunization Awareness Month is almost over, but it’s never a bad time to make a quick investment in your health that will pay off for months and years to come.