A focus of this year’s National Immunization Awareness Month is strengthening the vaccine messaging from physicians and other healthcare professionals to their patients to ensure they are up to date.
Messaging includes:
- When recommending vaccination, use a presumptive approach that assumes most parents will choose to vaccinate their child. For example, say: “Your child needs these vaccines today,” instead of “What do you want to do about vaccination today?”
- The immunization schedule is carefully designed to provide protection early, before children are exposed to potentially serious diseases. By ensuring your patients are vaccinated, you’ll be protecting them from 16 serious diseases.
- Talk to parents about missed vaccines and assess vaccination status at every visit.
Read more ways to communicate effectively about the importance of vaccination from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.