Pick Your Path to Health

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Did You Know… Children and adults alike need routine immunizations and preventive checkups to stay healthy.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT IMMUNIZATION

A single-dose pneumococcal vaccine is recommended for all adults aged 65 years and older to prevent pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae.
If you are 50 years old or older, have a chronic disease, or are concerned about catching the flu, you should have an annual influenza vaccination.
Three tetanus and diphtheria shots are recommended along with a booster shot every 10 years.
One dose of measles vaccine is recommended for those born after 1957 who have not been vaccinated. It is also highly recommended for women of childbearing age.
Two doses of hepatitis A vaccine are recommended for adults who work in kitchens and people who travel to countries where there are high levels of hepatitis A. Older adults who were not immunized against hepatitis B as an infant or child should ask their health care provider about receiving the hepatitis B vaccine.
Chickenpox vaccine is recommended for adults who have not had chickenpox before.
The meningococcal vaccine is recommended for college freshmen (students) who live on campus.

September is Pick Your Path to Health's (PYPTH) Prevention Month
Prevention is key to living long and living well. Steps to a healthy life include eating a balanced diet, getting daily recommended nutrition such as calcium and vitamin, engaging in regular exercise, quitting smoking, and reliving stress. Various screenings and tests are also important. The basic screenings for adults may include physical exam, height, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, bone density test, and colon cancer. Also, remember to have your eyes checked and your teeth cleaned and examined.

It is recommended that women ages 18 or older should be screened regularly for high blood pressure. If you are over age 20, you should have cholesterol measured once every five years. It is also necessary to get blood pressure checks every year. The National Cancer Institute recommends that a woman 40 years or older should get a mammogram every other year,, and a pap smear test every year starting at age 20.

Find an immunization program by calling the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Immunization Information Hotline at
1-800-232-2522 (English) or 1-800-232-0233 (Spanish).
Call the CDC National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program at 1-888-842-6355 to find somewhere near you that provides a free or low-cost mammogram and pap test.
Make an appointment with your doctor to talk about necessary immunizations and screenings you need.

Additional Resources:

September National Health Observances

Baby Safety Month
Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month
Healthy Aging Month
Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness Month
National Cholesterol Education Month
National Food Safety Education Month
National 5 A Day Month
Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
Children's Eye Health and Safety Month
National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month
Prostate Cancer Awareness Week (19-25)
Take A Loved One to the Doctor Day (21)
National Women's Health and Fitness Day (24)
National Adult Immunization Awareness Week
(26-2)
Family Health and Fitness Day USA (27)

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