National Cleft & Craniofacial Awareness Prevention Month
July is National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month, an effort to raise awareness and improve understanding of birth defects of the head and face, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Common craniofacial birth defects include orofacial clefts (cleft lip, cleft palate, or both). Each year in the U.S., thousands of babies are born with a cleft, occurring when tissue in the baby’s upper lip or roof of the mouth does not join together completely during pregnancy.
National Safety Month
Observed annually in June, National Safety Month focuses on reducing leading causes of injury and death at work, on the road and in our homes and communities. Injuries are the leading cause of death for Americans ages 1 to 40, but there are many things people can do to stay safe and prevent injuries. Make a difference about ways to reduce the risk of injuries in our communities and workplaces Our families and individuals need to identify and report safety hazards.
STD Awareness Month
April is STD Awareness Month, an annual observance to raise public awareness about the impact of STDs on the lives of Americans and the importance of preventing, testing for, and treating STDs. It is an opportunity to normalize routine STD testing and conversations about sexual health. If you’re sexually active, particularly with multiple partners, you’ve probably heard the following advice many times: Use protection and get tested. This is important because a person can have a sexually transmitted disease without knowing it.
World Leprosy Day
World Leprosy Day is annually observed around the world on the last Sunday of January. The day was initiated in 1954 by French philanthropist and writer, Raoul Follereau, as a way to raise global awareness of this deadly ancient disease and call attention to the fact that it can be prevented, treated and cured. Doctors and other medical professionals spend time talking to the public about how to recognize the symptoms of leprosy. Seminars are held around the world to address the problems faced by leprosy patients and to find ways to reduce the social stigma faced by them.
Birth Control Pills & Breast Cancer
Nearly 10 million American women use oral contraceptives, including about 1.5 million who rely on them for reasons other than birth control. The number of women in the United States with intrauterine devices, many of which release hormones, has grown in recent years, as has the number of women using other types of hormonal contraceptive implants. Many women have believed that newer hormonal contraceptives are much safer than those taken by their mothers or grandmothers, which had higher doses of estrogen.
National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month
November has been designated National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month. It is a time to spread awareness about this disease that affects nearly two million Americans today. An estimated five million Americans are affected by Alzheimer’s disease. This number is expected to increase to 60 million by 2050 in the U.S. alone. What is more distressing isn’t the fact that it is an incurable disease or that there are limited treatment options, but that Alzheimer’s disease has an insidious onset, often not being recognized until it is too late.
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month
In October 1988, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed October as National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. This Month recognizes the loss so many parents experience across the United States snd around the world. It is also meant to inform and provide resources for parents who have lost children due to miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy, stillbirths, birth defects, SIDS, and other causes. Too many families grieve in silence, sometimes never coming to terms with their loss.
Cord Blood Awareness Month
Cord Blood Awareness Month is celebrated in July and the day has been set aside to raise awareness on the importance of cord blood. Cord blood banking is storing the stem cells in umbilical cord blood. The cord blood is collected after the baby is born and after any delayed cord clamping. Alternatively parents can save cord blood, where it may be used for sibling transplants for disorders such as thalassemia, or returned to the baby to help with developmental conditions such as cerebral palsy or autism.
National Autism Awareness Month
April is Autism Awareness Month. The aim of this month is educate the public about autism. Autism is a complex mental condition and developmental disability, characterized by difficulties in the way a person communicates and interacts with other people. Autism can be be present from birth or form during early childhood (typically within the first three years). Autism is a lifelong developmental disability with no single known cause.
Eating Disorders Awareness Week
Eating Disorders describe illnesses that are characterized by irregular eating habits and severe distress or concern about body weight or shape. Eating disturbances may include inadequate or excessive food intake which can ultimately damage an individual’s well-being. The most common forms of eating disorders include Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder and affect both females and males.