August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM)!

This observance provides an opportunity to stress the value of vaccination across the lifespan. Please join us in educating the public on the importance of vaccines for protecting their health and encouraging healthcare professionals to strongly recommend the vaccines their patients need.

The National Public Health Information Coalition (NPHIC), in collaboration with CDC, has developed communication toolkits to assist your organization in communicating about vaccines. As part of these toolkits, you will find sample key messages, ready-to-publish articles, sample news releases, sample social media messages, FAQs, and web links among other resources. You can also get eye-catching NIAM logos and banners for each weekly theme to highlight your participation in NIAM and spruce up you social media profiles.

Here are some actions you can take to promote adult vaccination week (Aug. 14-20).

• Join the conversation on social media to promote adult immunization and NIAM. This year’s official hashtag is #NIAM17. We will also be using #TeamVax throughout the month to show how individuals, communities, partner organizations, and healthcare professionals together support vaccination.

• Distribute factsheets, flyers, and posters in healthcare and community settings. CDC has developed a series of factsheets to educate healthcare professionals on the Standards for Adult Immunization as well as a series of factsheets to educate adult patients on the vaccines recommended for them. All resources are available to download, and some materials can be ordered free of cost.
  
  
• Share radio PSAs through your organization and encourage local radio stations and medical offices to play them.
  
  
• Update your materials with the latest information provided in the NIAM Communication Toolkit or use the key messages to develop your own materials
  
  
•  Place ready to publish articles in your newsletter, on your website, or in local news outlets.

o   Ready to publish articles targeted at consumers can be found in the NIAM Communication Toolkit or at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/patient-ed/adults/for-patients. 

o   Ready to publish articles targeted at healthcare professionals can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/patient-ed/adults/for-partners/resources.html#articles.

• Include links to CDC’s Adult Vaccination website on your website, in your materials, or on your social media platforms.
  
  
• Syndicate content from CDC’s website on adult immunization.

We encourage you to see what other organizations have planned for NIAM.