August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM). This month emphasizes the importance of acquiring vaccines at different stages of life.
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has several graphics with crucial messages for institutions wishing to support vaccine awareness in their facilities.
Many vaccine-related diseases could directly affect healthcare facilities. One of the most worrying is COVID-19.
What’s the History of National Immunization Awareness Month?
In August of 2013, National Immunization Awareness Month was recognized for the first time as established by the National Public Health Information Coalition. The CDC later coordinated this campaign, becoming something of national importance over the years. As with every officially recognized date, they have a history of why they exist and their significance.
Navigating Health Challenges amid Rising COVID-19 Numbers
Keep your facility up-to-date on the COVID-19 seasonal upturn. Since the start of the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the WHO (World Health Organization) has established monitoring to prevent uncontrolled uprisings. Different facilities are looking for the best ways to protect themselves and develop correct control of this disease and its variants. Overall, one of the best ways to protect yourself as an institution is by staying updated with information about COVID-19, especially during this seasonal period when the disease increases considerably (during the autumn and winter months). And what better moment to be informed than during immunization month?
Where Does COVID-19 Stand Internationally?
Firstly, because the number of COVID-19 deaths has decreased, the emergency ended in May 2023 and was followed by a long-term plan until 2025 while continuing disease surveillance.
Secondly, 35 countries globally reported COVID-19 deaths and 96 countries reported COVID-19 cases in the latest WHO monthly report (from June 24 to July 21, 2024). The WHO considers that there were more cases and deaths that were not reported, as many countries no longer report on a monthly basis.
In addition, during this period, 46 countries had at least one case of hospitalization due to COVID-19, and 35 countries needed to care for patients in intensive care units (ICUs). Specifically, there were over 23,000 hospital admissions, an 11 percent increase in hospital admissions.
Finally, hospitalizations and ICU admissions are on the rise, especially in European countries and the American region. This increase is leading many institutions in the United States to ask themselves what solutions they can seek to improve the situation in their respective facilities.
How to Protect Ourselves in the Face of This Seasonal Upturn
During a period of rising COVID-19 cases, everyone is concerned about how to protect themselves from this disease.
- Don’t Delay Care: When you feel too sick, rest to recover or seek medical attention when needed.
- Keep Others Safe: When you feel your illness is serious, it is best not to put others at risk. Keeping to yourself, wearing a face mask, and seeking medical attention can make a difference.
- Stay Informed: Stay updated with what is happening in your region, seek reliable information, and care for those around you.
- Don’t Panic: Stress or panic can often do more harm than good. We must take precautionary measures without necessarily causing panic among our friends, neighbors, and family. Remaining calm also applies to seeking medical attention.
Remember to take care of your family and your own mental and physical health. Getting enough rest, eating properly, and regular physical exercise help improve overall health.
How Does Natural Immunization Work?
While vaccines are heavily recommended by numerous individuals and organizations, an alternative for those who choose not to vaccinate exists, which is your body working naturally to defend itself against deadly diseases and germs. Natural immunization is obtained when a germ infects the body, and the immune system responds by creating antibodies to protect against the infection in the future. Although you can still get sick from the initial infection, the antibodies produced by your immune system will allow your body to better defend against the infection in the future. This is your immune system doing its job to protect against diseases and illness.
How Does Vaccine-Acquired Immunity Work?
Contrary to obtaining natural immunization, one of the other heavy focuses of immunization awareness month is the use of vaccines to receive immunization. Like natural immunization, this immunity is obtained through your body defending itself against infection or illness. In the case of vaccination, a killed or weakened form of the disease organism is introduced to your body through the vaccination for your body to defend itself against it if you happen to catch the illness in the future. While both of these methods, it is still possible to contract a disease and become sick from it, natural immunity is believed to be more robust and durable for certain illnesses, as studies have demonstrated it is with the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.
Tips for Healthcare Professionals
Here are some tips for healthcare professionals and facility managers who are worried about COVID-19:
- Communicate to patients about the best ways to prevent the spread of the disease.
- Protect staff members’ and your own mental health through sufficient breaks, a safe staff-to-patient ratio, avoiding burnout, and communicating when help is needed.
- Make sure there is a sufficient supply of protective equipment for both patients and healthcare professionals.
- Keep current with the latest nursing credentials and courses and continue your education.
One of the most critical issues in preventing staff from becoming ill is having adequate healthcare professionals for the number of patients managed by the facility.
Immunization Education and Training
Healthcare professionals can be trained in different areas, supporting the work that their workplace requires. This diverse training is especially useful for those who need to move from one workspace to another, such as PRN nurses. Despite moving around a lot, they are ready to provide information on different topics that may be controversial or sensitive for the patients they see daily.
The CDC has numerous education and training programs for healthcare professionals. By obtaining training, professionals have the opportunity to learn more about each disease and the best ways to prevent or treat it.
What about Facilities?
Healthcare facilities need more staff during seasonal peaks in illnesses. One reason is that healthcare professionals also become ill or can experience burnout when there are not enough nurses covering shifts. Another reason is that healthcare facilities have more patients during peak periods of illness, putting a greater strain on internal staff.
Staffing has been a challenge for hospitals and healthcare facilities for quite some time now. Overall, the difficulty lies in finding enough nurses to cover the needs during peak times and maintain a safe nurse-to-patient ratio. Because of this, it is important to take advantage of technology to find nurses on time. A great example of this is Nursa, which connects healthcare facilities to healthcare professionals in real time to meet needs during periods of high demand.
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