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National Psoriasis Awareness Month

Next on the list of August month-long celebrations is National Psoriasis Awareness Month! (Okay, so maybe "celebration" isn't the best word to use here, but, what can you do?) 

Psoriasis is "a common, chronic relapsing/remitting immune-mediated skin disease characterized by red, scaly patches, papules, and plaques, which usually itch." It is believed that 2-4% of the population suffers from this disease. There are also 5 different types of Psoriasis 

1. Plaque - the most common form of Psoriasis (85-90%), is identified as "raised areas of inflamed skin covered with silvery white scaly skin."
2. Guttate - can be "characterized by numerous small, scaly, red or pink, teardrop-shaped lesions."
3. Inverse - "appears as smooth inflamed patches of skin."
4. Pustular - "raised bumps filled with noninfectious pus."
5. Erythrodermic - also known as "oral psoriasis" and is the least frequent form, found in only 6-20% of those who have psoriasis on their skin.

Not unlike National Immunization Awareness Month, there doesn't appear to be a lot of background information available. The main purpose to the Month that I could find is relaying the message that Psoriasis is not contagious, but it is important to talk about as a means of debunk the myths surrounding the disease. People affected by Psoriasis sometimes have to deal with the scrutiny and judgement of others who do not understand what the disease is. Despite it being a fairly common affliction, we remain quite ignorant of what Psoriasis actually is. This Month aims to change that. Although...they make it kind of tough when they barely identify any information about how to get involved. 

Image found at: http://www.checkbook.org/sitemap/health/Psoriasis/default.cfm?)

National Immunization Awareness Month

Welcome to August, folks! The first theme for this month is National Immunization Awareness Month. 

Now, I know what you're thinking...why on earth would anyone want to celebrate (painful and terrifying) injections? Well, I'll tell you - they're important! Take it from me, I'm no fan of needles, BUT, I'm also not a fan of getting sick and/or dying, so...there's that! 

Before we get into why this is a thing, perhaps we should have a brief discussion on what immunizations actually are. The highly academic definition (Wikipedia) identifies immunizations as "the process by which an individual's immune system becomes fortified against an agent." The CDC, identifies an immunization as "The process by which a person or animal becomes protected against a disease," while also noting that the "term is often used interchangeably with vaccination or inoculation." Generally, one begins receiving a series of immunizations at a very early age (some as early as a few months after birth). Others are received for various reasons, such as prevention from a newly discovered disease or course of treatment, or for the purposes of travel.   

Over the last number of years, a recent backlash has developed regarding the implications of receiving a number of vaccinations. A debate surrounding whether or not these recommended doses are more harmful than not - particularly a question of the link between early vaccinations and the higher prevalence of autism in children. I'm going to be honest here, part of me does worry about why we are required to receive so many injections, but the rational part of me (some might question if this actually exists!) would like to believe that there is obviously a good reason for doing so. I'm certainly no expert. I'm leery of certain vaccinations, but that is mostly due to their non-medical ingredients and the fact that I'm allergic to most of them. But, I also don't have children, so I'm not sure that I can fully understand the debate where it concerns the safety of an infant and the 'risk' of them developing negative side effects (i.e. the rise in autism prevalence). I think that this perceived link is merely a coincidence. When you think about it, medical knowledge has increased over the last several decades, as has the number of people living on the planet. So, I think that makes sense to see higher numbers of individuals with seemingly uncommon diseases/disorders/illness/etc.  

Okay, let's move on... National Immunization Awareness Month was created in the United States. The purpose of this month-long event was to provide "an opportunity to highlight the need for improving national immunization coverage levels." There really isn't a whole lot of information about when it began. There does appear to be a new theme each year, but I am unable to identify what that is for this year. Perhaps the mission of this event has been lost?  

At any rate, immunizations are important. They help us stay healthy. Healthy people leads to more productive societies. So, let's all stay healthy, okay?