August health observances
Kathryn Hawley
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Health Observance for August include the following below. This is a busy month with the upcoming solar eclipse and with the start of school! Take time to prepare for these events and enjoy August:
Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month – Bringing awareness to recommendation of when to see an ophthalmologist, optometrist, pediatrician or other trained specialist https://www.cdc.gov/features/healthyvision/index.html, https://www.aao.org/eye-health
Digestive Tract Paralysis Awareness Month – Helping to understand gastric motility disorders and the various conditions that fall into this category https://www.g-pact.org/gastroparesis
National Breastfeeding Month – Highlighting the importance of support and understanding of the importance and health benefits of breast feeding https://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/learning-breastfeed/finding-breastfeeding-support-and-information, For guidelines and recommendations see https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/recommendations/index.htm, For frequently asked questions about breastfeeding go to https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/faq/index.htm
National Immunization Awareness Month – take a quiz to find out what vaccines your child needs for protection at https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/index.html
Psoriasis Awareness Month – Understanding this autoimmune skin disease that speeds up the growth cycle of skin cells https://www.cdc.gov/psoriasis/index.htm
World Breastfeeding Week, August 1 – 7: – bring awareness to benefits of breast feeding https://www.cdc.gov/features/world-breastfeeding-week/index.html
National Health Center Week, August 7 – 13: – “Celebrating America’s Health Centers: The key to healthier communities https://healthcenterweek.org/
Fungal Disease Awareness Week, August 14 – 18: – highlight the importance of recognizing serious fungal diseases early enough in the course of a patient’s illness to provide life-saving treatment https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/awareness-week.html
Solar Eclipse, August 21 – – Enjoy and view by following simple safety rules to protect yourself https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety
Contact Lens Health Week, August 22 – 26 – Encouraging youth to start healthy habits early, for healthy eyes later https://www.cdc.gov/contactlenses/contact-lens-health-week.html
Kathryn Hawley, RN & Health Educator, Nodaway County Health Dept.
