August is National Immunization Awareness Month

August is National Immunization Awareness Month.  We all need shots (vaccines) to help protect us from serious diseases. This protection is called immunization. To help keep our community safe, Know A Vet? is proudly participating in National Immunization Awareness Month by providing you with resources to help you live your best life.

It’s important to know which shots you need and when to get them.  Shots can prevent serious diseases like the flu, measles, and pneumonia.

Everyone ages 6 months and older needs to get a flu vaccine every year. Other types of shots work best at specific ages or life stages.

Immunization Schedules

If you have a child age 6 or younger, learn which shots your child needs.
Find out which shots you need as an adult.
Use this chart for adults to see if you are up to date on your shots [PDF – 156 KB].
If you are pregnant, check out this recommended immunization schedule [PDF – 255 KB].

TRICARE covers age-appropriate doses of vaccines, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at no cost to you.  To avoid point-of-service fees, visit your network provider or your primary care manager.  If going to retail pharmacies, make sure the pharmacist gives you the vaccine and not a provider to avoid potential out-of-pocket costs.
Best practice is to call the pharmacy to set an appointment, to make sure that the vaccine you need is on hand, and to ask what proof of documentation they require for the service.

Explore travel health with the CDC Yellow Book if you are planning on traveling outside the country.

Where to get the shots:

To find your local VA, visit www.va.gov/directory/guide/home.asp.
To find a Tricare participating pharmacy, visit https://www.express-scripts.com/TRICARE/pharmacy/findpharmacy.shtml
To find a Military Hospital or Clinic, visit https://tricare.mil/mtf.aspx

Retail Pharmacies

Talk to your doctor or nurse to make sure that everyone in your family gets the shots they need.