August is National Immunization Awareness Month Published July 28, 2010 WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Air Force medical officials are encouraging Airmen, their families and all beneficiaries to raise their personal awareness of immunization health during National Immunization Awareness Month in August. Vaccines are one of the best public health interventions for the prevention of infectious diseases, said Lt. Col. (Dr.) Philip L. Gould, the chief of preventive medicine operations for the Air Force Medical Support Agency. Vaccines protect people from dangerous diseases and play a key role in maintaining unit readiness by keeping servicemembers healthy. In turn, unit medical readiness keeps servicemembers healthy at home and fit to fight when deployed. Moreover, vaccines help families and loved ones at home stay healthy and thrive. It is important to keep your guard up by immunizing; not getting vaccinated puts others at risk for preventable diseases, especially people who cannot be vaccinated because their immune systems are weakened by diseases like cancer or HIV, Dr. Gould said. Dr. Gould said new outbreaks of measles in Arizona and San Diego, introduced into their communities by intentionally under-vaccinated individuals, have led to hospitalizations and illness in other similarly unprotected children. A large outbreak of mumps, which has been ongoing in the northeastern United States, began in several under-vaccinated children who travelled to the United Kingdom; the UK has had an ongoing mumps epidemic for three years. Stateside, there have been increases in cases of whooping cough, or pertussis, Dr. Gould said. In California, there have already been two deaths in infants who were too young to be vaccinated. You should be vaccinated appropriately, depending on your age, your work location, and how you live your life, Dr. Gould said. Keeping shot records up-to-date provides protection against vaccine preventable diseases such as hepatitis, tetanus, measles and whooping cough. Simply stated, other than safe drinking water, vaccinations are one of the best ways to limit the spread of infectious diseases, and keep you healthy and safe, he added. For more information on vaccines: http://www.vaccines.mil/default.aspx.