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National Infant Immunization Week
National Infant Immunization Week
April 28 - May 4
National Infant Immunization Week
National Infant Immunization Week (#NIIW) takes place the last week in April. NIIW raises awareness about the important role vaccinations have in keeping our children, families, and communities protected from diseases. Vaccine preventable-diseases such as whooping cough, chickenpox, and mumps threaten the health of our children and our community. Wear a purple and green awareness ribbon pin to represent infant immunizations. The pins are available in both a personalized and non-personalized version. For example, our personalized pins allow you to engrave a name, date, or message.
- COVID-19 has caused many disruptions in families’ lives. In some cases, it has meant that children have missed or delayed their wellness checkups and vaccination, which are a critical part of ensuring children stay healthy.
- Giving babies the recommended vaccinations by age two is the best way to protect them from 14 serious childhood diseases, like whooping cough (pertussis) and measles.
- Among children born during 1994-2018, vaccination will prevent an estimated 419 million illnesses, 26.8 million hospitalizations, and 936,000 deaths over their lifetimes.
National Infant Immunizations Week
Immunization saves millions of lives and is one of the greatest and most successful public health initiatives. Regardless, more than 23 million infants worldwide have insufficient access to vaccines, which puts them at serious risk for potentially fatal disease.
National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) is a yearly observance held in April, highlighting the importance of protecting children two years and younger from vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend that children stay on track with their well-child appointments and routine vaccinations. On-time vaccination is critical to provide protection against potentially life-threatening diseases.
Why Vaccinate?
Parents work hard to keep their babies healthy and safe. But even healthy babies need vaccines to protect them from serious diseases. By vaccinating them according to CDC’s recommended schedule, parents can protect their babies from 14 serious diseases before they turn 2 years old.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is sharing resources and information about the role vaccines play in helping children and communities thrive.
Milestones Reached for National Infant Immunizations Week
These major achievements highlight controlling vaccine-preventable diseases among infants and young children:
- Vaccines have drastically reduced infant deaths and disability caused by preventable disease in the U.S.
- Through immunization, we can now protect infants and children from 14 vaccine-preventable diseases before age two.
Opportunities
NIIW 2023 provides an opportunity to communicate to parents and caregivers:
- The importance of staying up to date on all routinely recommended vaccines, following disruptions from COVID-19.
- The benefits of vaccination in protecting children, starting from birth, against vaccine-preventable diseases.
- The dangers of vaccine-preventable diseases, especially to infants and young children.
NIIW also provides partners an opportunity to:
- Let local organizations and agencies work together as immunization partners.
- Share evidence-based information about vaccines on social media.
- Recognize local partners and volunteers for improving immunization coverage, with emphasis on completing the vaccination series.
- Create virtual events that attract community support and national and local media interest for stories on childhood immunization.
- Provide a forum so local media can interview immunization experts.
- Encourage clear communication about vaccination between parents and healthcare professionals.
Key Messages from National Infant Immunizations Week
Use key messages to encourage parents to stay up to date on their child’s vaccinations. Use these messages or adapt them to fit your particular audience.
