National Immunization Awareness Month is observed annually, each August, to educate on the clinical importance of routine vaccinations. From infants to adolescents, teenagers to adults, and especially seniors and the elderly population, this encourages conversations with trusted healthcare providers on initiative-taking vaccination needs, or those which might be overdue.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the national public health agency who incepted the educational initiative in 1994, vaccines are responsible for the eradication of countless diseases once prevalent in the United States. With decades of scientific research and clinical trials, pharmaceutical companies have created formulas which have reduced, and in some cases, eliminated infectious diseases responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of people across the globe.
Comparably, and according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), routine vaccines not only protect the population from infections and viruses but also help stimulate the immune system to produce stronger immune responses.
“By becoming immunized, we also reduce the risk to which unimmunized individuals are exposed to disease causing agents,” said Nicole Santiago, RN, BSN, Osceola Council on Aging Health Services.
According to Medicine.net, by maintaining high immunization rates, communities better protect the general populous by obstructing the transmission of disease-causing bacteria and/or viruses. Known as herd immunity, this theory is a form of “indirect protection,” for those who will not, or cannot be vaccinated.
Despite the importance of herd immunity, and extensive vaccination education, statistics from the CDC reflect influenza and pneumonia vaccine rates (for seniors) to be declining since 2019. As an example, in 2024, 67.1% of adults aged 65 and older had an influenza vaccine. That statistic is down from 70.5-percent in 2019.
Additionally, the CDC estimates only 27.8% of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older received a COVID-19 vaccine in 2024 and 2025, which is well below optimal levels, despite strong public health recommendations. These are concerning statistics since that older adults are at a higher risk for severe outcomes in relation to many common illnesses.
With that ongoing concern, the Osceola Council on Aging health clinic collaborates annually with local pharmacies to provide opportunities for seniors to become vaccinated. One of those community partners is Prescriptions Unlimited.
“We are proud to be a small part of the positive impact in which the Osceola Council on Aging brings to the health of the Osceola community,” said Eric Larson, St. Cloud Prescriptions Unlimited pharmacist. “Vaccinations provide a safe, cost-effective means of preventing illness, disability, and even death from both communicable, and infectious diseases.”
The Prescriptions Unlimited team will also be on hand during the OCOA’s upcoming Fall Community Resource Expo, Wednesday, Sept.9, from 9 a.m. to noon 12 pm. Hosted on the OCOA campus (700 Generation Point, Kissimmee), the pharmacy will offer influenza, COVID-19, pneumonia, and RSV vaccinations. The event is open to the public. Insurance cards and identification are required.
For more information, go to https://osceolagenerations.org/fall-community-resource-expo/.
Whether it be National Immunization Awareness Month, or any other month throughout the year, please take the need for vaccinations seriously to keep you, your parents, children, and extended family safe from unnecessary illness.
For more information on vaccines needed for all ages, go to the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/by-age/index.html.
