October’s many health and educational observances

The month of October includes several national observances, paying homage to everything from health conditions that deserve more recognition, to activities and animals which can be less serioust. These topics include: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), Spina Bifida, and health literacy, as well as more lighthearted events like International Book Month, and finally Bat Appreciation Month.

SIDS Awareness Month is one of the many that is being acknowledged throughout the month. Though the cause is unknown, what is documented is that it is sudden and it mostly happens at night. There are many precautions that are spread to try and prevent the deaths but there are no direct causes. Brain defects, low birth weight, and respiratory infections, according to Mayo Clinic, are associated with SIDS. There are ways in which a person can decrease the risk of SIDS, but there are no solutions. 

There are many different medical conditions being highlighted. Another is Spina Bifida Awareness Month, a condition, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where there is a neural tube defect in the spine. This condition has different types depending on the severity of the condition. Myelomeningocele, Meningocele, and Spina Bifida Occulta are the three common types that are seen with Spina Bifida. 

Health Literacy Month is defined by The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as the degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others. This is in contrast to the other two medical awarenesses, for it is not a condition but the understanding of conditions that a person may have. This can be critical in a person's life that requires adequate understanding of one’s conditions. 

In contrast to the serious issues being discussed during the month of October, there are more lighthearted topics being discussed. 

International Book Month is one of the more lighthearted topics that is acknowledged during the month, a less-publicized topic of the month dedicated to the importance that books have. This acknowledgment is dedicated to the impact that books and literature have on the past, present, and future through documenting history and a source of enjoyment, acknowledging the work that writers have been doing for the past thousands of years. 

The already-spooky month has included an acknowledgement of an animal that is so important to the spirit of October and the ecosystem. Bats are a nocturnal animal that help to control pests and pollination. With over 1,000 species of bats, 85 of them are endangered with 23 to a critical extent, according to Bat Conservation International. 

Throughout the month of October, both international and national events that recognize many different topics. Some more serious and many on a more lighthearted end intended to bring information and recognition to both big and little things.