For protection from infectious and harmful diseases, preventive vaccines are among the easiest and most cost-effective tools we have. While public health experts and medical providers have told us about the importance of COVID-19 vaccination, don’t overlook other immunizations that keep you free from infections that rob you of good health.  Importance of Vaccines for Adults  Vaccines can prevent death and debilitating illness. They also provide widespread protection in the form of herd immunity, and they reduce healthcare costs and other medical burdens on society.  Vaccines are especially...

When you’re the parent or guardian of a young child, you fill your day with small practices to keep your children safe. You buckle their seatbelt, encourage them to wear a helmet, and teach them how to look both ways before crossing the street. However, at the end of the day, you may be too exhausted to negotiate any longer, and making sure that your children routinely brush their teeth and floss may fall by the wayside.  While occasional lapses in dental hygiene routines happen, making sure that your child has proper dental health is a critical part of their overall wellness. In honor of February’s...

It should come as no surprise that the public is growing weary of pandemic restrictions and are increasingly tuning out COVID-19 public health messaging. Researchers from the University of Arkansas recently surveyed 744 participants to tease out the parts of pandemic health messaging that have grown stale. According to the survey, about 21.9 percent of the participants said they were tired of hearing about the need to wear masks, 18 percent response rate indicated "message fatigue" about social distancing, 10.08 percent response rate about washing hands, and 3.76 percent about vaccines. The...

As the calendar changes from January to February, you may have already chosen a red outfit to wear on Valentine’s Day. But there’s another day to wear red before cupid arrives: National Wear Red Day on Feb. 4. Health professionals and public health advocates around the nation will be celebrating a very important heart-centric day on Feb. 4.  Here’s what you need to know about National Wear Red Day, American Heart Month, and the importance of spreading the word about heart disease and preventive heart health.  What Are National Wear Red Day and American Heart Month?  Each February, the American...

Overall, primary doses of the COVID vaccine and boosters are still the most effective means of protection against COVID-related illness, hospitalization, and death. Experts can now confirm a gradual reduction in protection from initial vaccinations against mild and moderate sickness. Therefore, boosters are essential, especially during the Omicron spike.  Primary Vaccine Effectiveness Declines Over Time  COVID vaccines remain an essential first defense against serious illness and death from COVID-19. With the presence of Omicron and the likely emergence of new variants in the future, primary...