JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. - –
August is national immunization awareness month and the perfect time for U.S. Service members and their families to ensure they receive all necessary immunizations.
At a minimum, all Department of Defense beneficiaries should be vaccinated against potentially devastating, yet preventable, diseases, including polio, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, meningococcal disease, rotavirus, pneumonia, pertussis and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib).
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is critical that children receive immunizations in accordance with the published schedules starting shortly after birth and continuing through adolescence, when children are most vulnerable. Adults also need to follow the CDC schedule to help maintain their immunity and prevent the spread of preventable diseases.
There are some specialized immunizations recommended for targeted populations that include the pneumonia vaccine, pertussis vaccine, human papillomavirus (HPV), Zoster (Shingles) and the seasonal influenza vaccination.
According to U.S. Army Maj. Bowser, MCAHC Army Public Health Nursing chief, seasonal influenza deserves special attention.
"Failure to vaccinate against influenza can be devastating for families and for unit readiness," said Bowser. "Influenza is very contagious and will spread quickly among unvaccinated family members, Soldiers, or coworkers with the potential for devastating impacts on mission accomplishment."
Although a number of different viral syndromes are commonly referred to as "the flu," proper influenza infection can be very debilitating, and possibly fatal. According to the CDC, there continue to be approximately 36,000 deaths from influenza infections each year in the United States. Due to rapid changes in the virus, the influenza vaccination may not prevent an infection 100 percent of the time, but it will dramatically reduce symptoms if a person becomes infected.
The seasonal influenza vaccination is mandatory for Service members and healthcare workers, and highly encouraged for all other individuals. Those under the age of two and the population above 65 are at highest risk for severe infections. Other high-risk populations are those with chronic medical problems at any age, pregnant women, immunocompromised individuals from medications or medical conditions, people who are morbidly obese (above 40% BMI), or those living in nursing homes or close quarters.
"These are our initial target populations when we begin our annual seasonal influenza vaccination campaign later this month," said Bowser. "Influenza vaccinations are available to TRICARE beneficiaries at no cost during the annual MCAHC flu vaccination fairs, at any TRICARE authorized provider or at any participating pharmacy."
Federal employees and their families enrolled in the Federal Employees Health Benefits program can be vaccinated with no co-pay at any authorized pharmacy or clinic.
For more information, visit http://mcdonald.narmc.amedd.army.mil or the MCAHC Facebook page for Flu Fair dates and times. To find a participating pharmacy, call (877) 363-1303 or go to
http://www.express-scripts.com/TRICARE/pharmacy.