August 16, 2007 - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognize August as National Immunization Awareness Month. Noted as one of the most significant health interventions of the 20th century, immunization helped eradicate smallpox worldwide, virtually eliminated polio from this hemisphere, and significantly reduced the occurrence of measles, diphtheria, rubella, and pertussis cases in the U.S. While many people are routinely immunized, there are still tens of thousands of deaths around the world that are caused by vaccine-preventable diseases.

The CDC recommends that vaccinations begin shortly after birth and continue through childhood. Though most vaccines are given during childhood, other immunizations are recommended for administration during the adolescent or adult years, or should be administered throughout life. Staying up-to-date on the recommended vaccines is an important measure to protect yourself and others from life-threatening infections.

The Institute of Medicine considers the national immunization system to be highly successful, providing invaluable protection against infectious disease. While many people already participate in the vaccination program, Financing Vaccines in the 21st Century: Assuring Access and Availability says a new approach toward financing and distributing vaccines would achieve broader public access to immunization throughout the U.S. and also help sustain the development and production of vaccines in the future. Microbial Threats to Health: Emergence, Detection, and Response also calls for the development of new vaccines and the maintenance of adequate vaccine supplies in order to implement a national vaccine strategy.

• Financing Vaccines in the 21st Century: Assuring Access and Availability
• Microbial Threats to Health: Emergence, Detection, and Response

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Vaccines and Immunizations Page