NORWALK, CT – During National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW), the Norwalk Health Department (NHD) joins the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to recommend that families check with their healthcare providers to make sure children are up to date on routinely recommended vaccines. COVID-19 caused many disruptions in families’ lives, and in some cases, children have missed or delayed their well checkups and vaccinations, which play a critical part of ensuring children stay healthy.
NIIW is an annual observance to highlight the importance of protecting infants and young children from vaccine-preventable diseases and celebrate the achievements of immunization programs and their partners in promoting healthy communities.
NHD’s Immunization Action Plan (IAP) Program aims to raise immunization rates of infants and pre-school children. “Vaccinating children on time means healthier children, families and communities,” explains Pam Bates, coordinator of the IAP Program. “Giving babies the recommended vaccinations by age 2, protects them from 14 dangerous diseases, like measles.”
NHD offers free state-supplied vaccinations for eligible children from birth through 18 years of age. In addition, NHD provides free whooping cough vaccine to people who care for infants. If you are over 11 years of age and are a family member or caregiver of an infant younger than 12 months old, the Health Department can provide you with a free vaccine to protect against whooping cough.
Travel and adult immunization services are also available. For more information about vaccines or Health Department immunization services, call (203) 854-7776, or visit www.norwalkhealth.com.
