August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM), a great time to remember that we all need vaccines throughout our lives, including during pregnancy. When you are expecting a baby, you spend time thinking about baby names, nursery colors, and prenatal vitamins, but you should also be thinking about vaccines. Vaccines during pregnancy protect you against diseases, and you can also begin to pass protection on to your baby that will last the first few months of life. Two vaccines that doctors and midwives routinely recommend during pregnancy are the pertussis or whooping cough vaccine (Tdap) and the flu vaccine.

During NIAM, the Health Department celebrates the importance of immunizations for a healthy start and throughout our lives. Year round, the Health Department works to make sure everyone is protected with all the vaccines they need. The Health Department provides free Tdap vaccinations to anyone 11 to 64 years of age who lives with or cares for a newborn. In addition, the Health Department will begin providing flu vaccines for the public in September and always provides routine childhood and adult vaccinations by appointment. For more information, please visit the immunization section of our website or call (203) 854-7776 with questions or to schedule an appointment.