National Immunization Awareness Month
The FDA has officially recognized August as National Immunization Awareness Month. Though vaccination has always been encouraged and promoted, given the times we are in, spreading awareness about immunizations is even more important than it has ever been.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the COVID vaccines have been subject to skepticism due to rampant disinformation. This disinformation has affected the attitudes of many towards the vaccines, especially communities of color. According to Hopkins Medicine, “Institutional racism and historical inequities in health care may also play a role in vaccine hesitancy among African Americans and other people of color. Incidents of the medical establishment endangering the health or betraying the trust of Black patients and research participants have complicated the relationship between the medical establishment and these communities.”
Disinformation and institutional racism in the healthcare industry contribute to why communities of color have been overrepresented in severe COVID-19 cases and deaths.
To fight this disinformation and disparity, we must educate as many people as we can about the development of the vaccines and show up in these communities(providing community testing, vaccination sites, etc…). There are two extremely important points to make regarding vaccines: they undergo rigorous testing and are effective. According to the FDA, vaccines undergo a rigorous FDA evaluation of laboratory and clinical data to ensure their safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality. Furthermore, the CDC writes that “studies following the use of the vaccines showed approximately 90% protection against symptomatic infection, severe illness, and death.”
All of these points aren’t exclusive to just the COVID-19 pandemic and the efficacy of vaccinations against it. Vaccines are extremely effective for various diseases and viruses: measles, whopping cough, HPV, smallpox, etc… Furthermore, our duty is to solve the clear racial disparities in our healthcare system regarding vaccines. We must continue to nurture, educate, and innovate to make sure communities of color do not disproportionately suffer from pandemics and epidemics of the future. Happy National Immunization Awareness Month!
By: Alan Lu
