The New York State Department of Health recognizes National Immunization Awareness Month and encourages New Yorkers to review their children’s vaccination status ahead of the new school year. Infants and young children should also receive recommended vaccines to stay protected.
The Department also recommends that adults ensure they are current with vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Nationally, we see increases in vaccine-preventable diseases. This does not need to happen in New York, or in your city, or in your home. Decades of research show that vaccines are the best protection to prevent disease and save lives,” State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said. “National Immunization Awareness Month serves as a timely reminder for parents, guardians and pediatricians to ensure that children’s vaccines are up to date for the back-to-school season.”
Children attending nursery schools, pre-kindergarten, and grades K-12 must receive all doses of the required vaccines for their age and school year according to New York State Immunization Requirements for School Entrance/Attendance.
Vaccines are covered under most private health insurance providers. Parents or guardians of children whose insurance does not cover vaccines can still get their children vaccinated. The Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program provides all recommended vaccines at no cost for children under age 19 who qualify.
A report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified that routine childhood vaccinations have prevented hundreds of millions of illnesses, tens of millions of hospitalizations and more than 1 million deaths nationwide among children born between 1994 and 2023.
National Immunization Month is also a time to highlight the efficacy of vaccines for people of all ages and the success against infections of all kinds. Adults of all ages can be susceptible to disease and therefore can benefit from updates to their vaccination status. Adults can find which vaccines they may need with the Center for Disease Control’s Adult Immunization Schedule.
The NYS Vaccines for Adults program provides vaccines at no cost to eligible adults. Additionally, information on vaccine recommendations for international travel can be found here.
