This post was sponsored by Unity™ Consortium as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
Don’t Wait. Vaccinate!
Adolescent and young adult (AYA) well-visit and vaccination rates have fallen sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic. With most schools switching to online, the lack of need for sports physicals, and concerns about the spread of COVID-19, many families chose to pause routine in-person health care visits. While rates have begun to improve, there is still a significant disparity, especially among adolescents.
Having four children, I have been to so many wellness visits over the years. When the kids were little, it was much easier to remember the appointments because of how frequent they were. As they have gotten older and only go yearly, sometimes it gets a little hard to remember. I was hesitant to get our adolescents in for their checkups due to COVID-19 concerns. However, we went ahead with the appointments, and I am very thankful we did. They were due for vaccines, and we also received important recommendations during those visits.
Don’t Wait, Vaccinate! Wellness Checkups and Childhood Vaccine Rates are Down
As everything starts opening up, our children will need these vaccines before returning to in-person school, sports, camps, and more. Now is the time to catch up on these visits and missed immunizations, so they are ready to start the next school year off right.
There is a substantial amount of misinformation on social media regarding well visits and vaccines. This leaves many parents confused and not knowing what to do. Many parents still steer clear of taking their children in for these health checkups because of safety concerns. That’s why we’ve teamed up with Unity™ Consortium to encourage you to schedule your young adults’ well-visit and immunizations now!
Unity™ is a non-profit organization that unites diverse groups around a common passion. Their goal is to protect adolescents and young adults against all vaccine-preventable diseases from supporting lifelong health. We want you to know that It is safe to visit your doctor or pharmacy. All healthcare providers are taking a multitude of steps to make sure every patient is safe.
Staying Healthy with Well Checkups
The truth is, our young adults stay well by going to the doctor regularly. During those healthy child checkups, adolescents undergo time-sensitive screenings and immunizations. However, when immunization rates decrease, we become more vulnerable to vaccine-preventable illnesses. The worst part is that this gap is much more evident for disadvantaged groups such as minorities and low-income households.
The CDC recommends vaccines to defend against severe diseases such as meningitis (2 vaccines), HPV-related cancers, whooping cough, and flu. These mandatory immunizations are crucial for our adolescent’s wellbeing. This infographic hits a ton of the key points parents need to know. It’s perfect for sharing on social media to help educate parents and caregivers to counter the misinformation.
Don’t Wait. Vaccinate!
Unity™ has created a fantastic resource to help educate parents, young adults, and even healthcare providers. This website provides parents with information to start discussions with both their adolescents and their doctors. It provides age-appropriate information on the importance of immunizations and how to talk with their healthcare providers for young adults.
As a parent and health care advocate, I am incredibly thankful that Unity™ created this resource. I encourage you to please go check out the Unity™ website and schedule your young adult’s well checkup today!