Guard your health Published Aug. 2, 2007 By TRICARE Public Affairs FALLS CHURCH, Va. -- With summer drawing to a close, parents are enrolling their children in school, students are entering college and health care workers are preparing for the upcoming flu season. Now is the perfect time for all service members, retirees and their families to catch up on their immunizations. August is National Immunization Awareness Month, and we are encouraging all TRICARE beneficiaries to take the time to review their individual and family immunization records with their physician. TRICARE and its team of healthcare professionals realize the important role of immunizations as part of a healthy lifestyle. Beneficiaries can receive all necessary vaccinations through military treatment facilities, TRICARE network and non-network providers. Immunizations are important to overall public health. With the exception of safe drinking water, there is no other health improvement strategy with such a tremendous effect on reducing disease and improving health. Vaccine-preventable diseases and deaths still occur in the U.S., affecting children, adolescents and adults. Pneumococcal disease, for example, still causes thousands of deaths and 175,000 hospitalizations each year in the United States alone. Together, pneumonia and influenza are the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, and the sixth leading cause of death among people 65 years of age and older. Immunizations are critical for mission readiness. If you are a service member who is deploying overseas, you should receive all required immunizations before arriving in country. If you are not current on immunizations, you should obtain indicated vaccines at your unit's medical facility immediately upon arrival to ensure you remain healthy throughout the deployment. Immunizations are important, regardless of age, sex, race, ethnic background or country of origin. Recommended vaccinations begin at birth and continue throughout life. By staying current on your immunizations, you can protect yourself from life-threatening conditions while also protecting your family, friends and community from their spread. Children are particularly vulnerable to infection, which is why they should be kept up-to-date with required immunizations and necessary boosters throughout life. Immunizations are not only important for your child's health but also a requirement for school attendance. If you have not already scheduled your children an appointment for immunizations, you should do so as soon as possible.