December Healthcare Observances: Key Awareness Days for 2025
December is a time to come together with loved ones and embrace the joy of the holiday season.
Amid the celebrations, it’s also a chance to focus on important healthcare observances, like flu vaccination initiatives, that help keep our communities healthy.
From World AIDS Day to campaigns promoting disability awareness, December offers meaningful opportunities to prioritize well-being during this reflective time of year.
Key December 2025 Healthcare Observances at a Glance
In this article, we’ll highlight key December health observances and share practical ways for you to get involved. These observances include:
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World AIDs Day
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Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Week
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National Influenza Vaccination Week
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International Day of Persons with Disabilities
World AIDs Day (December 1, 2025)
World AIDS Day 2025, observed on December 1, highlights the impact of HIV and AIDS while recognizing the remarkable progress in treatment over the past few decades.
What Is HIV and AIDs?
HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus, attacks the immune system, making it harder to fight off infections and illnesses.
If untreated, HIV can progress to AIDS, or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, where the immune system becomes severely compromised, leading to serious health issues and death.
HIV is commonly associated with sexual transmission, but it can also be passed from mother to child during birth or through shared needles.
Current HIV Statistics in the United States
An estimated 1.2 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV, and about 13% are unaware of their status.
Although new HIV cases have declined in recent years, a promising trend, continued efforts are essential to prevent new infections and ensure that those living with HIV receive timely treatment.
2025 World AIDS Day Goals
World AIDS Day was started to raise awareness and support for those living with HIV and AIDS. The goal was to dispel stigmas around the condition to propel treatment efforts and encourage individuals to get tested regularly.
2025 marks the 38th year observing World AIDS Day. This year’s theme, “Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response,” underscores the need for a unified approach to combating HIV.
Ways to Support HIV Awareness and Prevention
You can show your support by:
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Discussing HIV with those you know.
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Encouraging regular STD testing.
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Donating to an HIV campaign.
Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Week (December 1-7, 2025)
This December 1-7 is Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Week. 2025 marks the 14th year of recognizing this important observance.
Understanding Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
Crohn's Disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes pain and inflammation in the body's digestive system. This is a chronic condition with no known cure that can lead to debilitating pain or other life-threatening complications.
Colitis is similar; this disease results in inflammation in the large intestine or the colon. This can cause a number of problems and symptoms, such as dehydration, bloody stools, fever, and severe abdominal pain.
IBD Statistics in the United States
Although the focus is on Crohn's and Colitis, this awareness week recognizes everyone impacted by IBD. An estimated 1.6 million Americans live with these conditions, with 70,000 new cases diagnosed each year.
How to Raise Awareness and Support IBD Research
This December, you can show your support by:
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Donating to an IBD research foundation.
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Volunteering to help those living with IBD.
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Spreading the word about IBD, Colitis, and Crohn's Disease.
National Influenza Vaccination Week (December 1-5, 2025)
National Influenza Vaccination Week is December 1-5, 2025. Flu activity typically begins in the fall and winter, peaking between December and February, making early December an ideal time to get vaccinated.
Flu Season Statistics
As the weather turns colder, flu season arrives once again. During the 2024–2025 season, influenza caused an estimated 610,000 to 1.3 million hospitalizations in the United States.
While it’s still too early to predict the full impact of the 2025–2026 flu season, health experts warn that both the flu and COVID‑19 remain significant concerns this winter.
Current forecasts suggest a similar outlook to last season, emphasizing the importance of vaccination and preventive measures.
Why Flu Vaccination Matters
While anyone can contract the flu, certain groups, such as pregnant individuals, young children, older adults, and those with underlying health conditions, face a higher risk of developing severe complications.
The more people who get vaccinated, the less opportunity the virus has to spread. This helps protect vulnerable groups and reduces hospitalizations and fatalities.
Is It Too Late To Get Vaccinated?
It’s never too late to get a flu shot! While many people get flu shots earlier in the season, December is still a great time to get vaccinated.
How To Get Vaccinated in 2025
There are plenty of ways to get vaccinated in 2025. First, most insurance plans cover vaccines for children at no additional cost.
For adults, you have a lot of low-cost or no-cost options:
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Your local health department.
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Pharmacies.
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Your health provider.
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Community locations such as your school or employer.
International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3, 2025)
Each year, on December 3rd, we celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD).
The goal of IDPD is to encourage critical thinking about creating a more inclusive world and to recognize the challenges that the disabled community endures.
Global Disability Statistics
Globally, an estimated 1.3 billion people, approximately 16% of the population, live with significant disabilities. These disabilities can vary greatly, ranging from physical impairments such as blindness, deafness, or the need for a wheelchair to intellectual disabilities.
2025 International Day of Persons with Disability Theme and Goals
In 2025, the theme is "Fostering disability inclusive societies for advancing social progress."
This year's goal is to help give disabled individuals the same opportunities as their peers, in hopes of raising awareness about the problems people with disabilities still face globally.
How to Promote Accessibility and Inclusion
While some countries have made progress in building inclusive communities, much work remains to ensure equitable opportunities and quality of life for disabled individuals everywhere.
This December, you can show your support by engaging with social media communities, educating yourself on disability-related issues, or simply reaching out to someone in your life with a disability to let them know they are seen and valued.
Small acts of connection and understanding can make a meaningful difference in creating a world where everyone feels safe, supported, and included.
How to Support December Health Observances
The first step to helping those in need is dispelling the stigmas around life-threatening and altering conditions. When we normalize and humanize the individuals suffering, we are more able to talk about, help, and reform our ways to create an inclusive environment for those living with chronic illnesses and disabilities.
This December, you can show your support for an awareness month by sharing the word with friends and family, donating to a healthcare cause, and learning more about the impacts and risks of certain health conditions.
Long-Term Care, Chronic Conditions, and Aging: How It All Connects
Flus, chronic illnesses, and disabilities all have one thing in common: they could lead to a need for long-term care.
LTC News also offers educational resources to help you navigate the world of long-term care. Whether you’re considering your options due to an illness, hospitalization, aging, or perhaps caring for a loved one, LTC News can help.
Here are a few resources to help you get started:
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What Is Long-Term Care? – Long-term care happens when an individual needs help with activities of daily living expected to last longer than 90 days. Anyone can need long-term care in their lifetimes for a variety of reasons, but why is learning about long-term care so important?
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The Long-Term Care Spectrum: From Independent Living to Skilled Nursing – There are various types of long-term care facilities and service options, running from living setups where individuals are completely independent to facilities that provide care around the clock.
If you or your loved one currently need long-term care and are struggling to find it, LTC News’s Care Directory can help. Our tool can help you find high-quality long-term care facilities and caregiving services close to home.
