title
PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING AUGUST AS NATIONAL IMMUNIZATION AWARENESS MONTH IN COOK COUNTY
WHEREAS, National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) is an annual observance held in August to highlight the importance of vaccination for people of all ages; and
WHEREAS, communities across the country use the month each year to raise awareness about the important role vaccines play in preventing serious, sometimes deadly, diseases across a lifespan; and
WHEREAS, immunization isn't just for kids; to stay protected against serious illnesses like the flu, measles, and pneumonia, adults also need to get vaccinated; and
WHEREAS, National Immunization Awareness Month is a great time to promote vaccines and remind family, friends, and coworkers to stay up to date on their shots; and
WHEREAS, thanks to vaccines, we can protect young infants against preventable life-threatening diseases such as whooping cough and pregnant women can pass on protection to their newborns by getting vaccinated during the third trimester of their pregnancy; and
WHEREAS, whooping cough is just one of several vaccine-preventable diseases that threaten Americans, as outbreaks continue to occur, and many vaccine-preventable diseases remain common; and
WHEREAS, in addition to saving lives, vaccines provide major cost savings by preventing serious infectious diseases, and prevent us from spending large amounts of money on treating them; and
WHEREAS, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for every $1 spent on childhood vaccinations, our country saves $10.10 and vaccines given to children born between 1994-2016 will prevent an estimated 381 million illnesses, 24.5 million hospitalizations, 855,000 deaths, and $1.65 trillion in total societal costs; and
WHEREAS, as the operator of one of the largest Public Health Systems in the country, Cook County Government and our health system bears a large portion of the economic burden of treating preventable diseases,...
Click here for full text