| Have You Had Your Shots?
Immunization Awareness Month Focuses
on Keeping Vaccinations Up-to-Date
Tri-City Voice, August 1, 2006 Vaccines have been an amazing success story. Over the last century, we have
seen many advances against infectious diseases such as diphtheria, smallpox,
polio, and measles thanks to immunizations. But despite important breakthroughs,
tens of thousands of people in the U.S. still die from vaccine-preventable
diseases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
August is National Immunization Month, designed to focus public attention on the
need for both children and adults to keep their vaccinations current.
Recommended vaccinations begin soon after birth and continue throughout life.
Getting immunized is a lifelong, life-protecting community effort.
"It’s not that long ago people died of diphtheria, and that’s almost unheard of
today," said Dr. Steven Curran, Washington Hospital Medical Staff family
practice physician and medical director of Washington Clinic/Warm Springs and
Washington Clinic/Newark. "Vaccines have made a huge impact on public health."
Vaccines offer safe and effective protection from infectious diseases. They work
with your body to protect it from diseases caused by bacteria and virus germs,
helping it build up antibodies that stay in your bloodstream ready to fight the
germs if you come in contact with them, making you immune.
"Even in the last few decades there have been major gains," Curran said. "The
haemophilus influenza type b vaccine has significantly reduced childhood
meningitis just in the last decade."
Most vaccines are given during the first five to six years of life. The first
shot is generally administered soon after birth, before the baby leaves the
hospital.
Vaccines have the ability to protect kids from 13 serious diseases, including
measles, mumps, rubella (German measles), diphtheria, tetanus (lockjaw),
pertussis (whooping cough), polio, haemophilus influenzae type b (hib disease),
meningitis, hepatitis b, varicella (chickenpox), hepatitis a, and pneumococcal
disease. At least one shot is needed for each of these diseases, and for some of
them several doses are required for the best protection.
This adds up to a lot of shots, although several can be given at the same time.
Some parents worry that it may not be safe to give several shots at once, or
that it could overload the immune system, but studies have shown these fears are
unfounded.
"A lot of vaccines are required by schools, so it’s easier to keep them
up-to-date for kids," Curran said. "But for adults, it’s often harder to keep
track."
Adults Need to Stay Protected
According to the CDC, each year approximately 43,000 adults in the U.S. die from
vaccine-preventable diseases such as influenza and pneumonia. Yet the CDC
estimates that 50 to 80 percent of adults in this country don’t have one or more
of the shots they need to fully protect themselves from infectious diseases.
It’s not really surprising that most adults are not up-to-date. There are many
more vaccinations available today than when most adults were under the watchful
care of a pediatrician. Usually when adults go to the doctor, it’s for a
specific problem, not for preventive care.
There are six recommended immunizations for adults: Tetanus, diphtheria,
one-dose booster every 10 years; influenza, one dose annually for those over 50
or with chronic health conditions; pneumococcal for healthy adults 65 years and
older, one dose provides a lifetime of protection; measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)
- most adults born after 1956 should receive at least one dose; chickenpox for
those who haven’t had the disease; and hepatitis A and B.
"Hepatitis A is not routinely recommended everywhere," Curran said. "But in
places like California, Texas and Florida, where there are many more cases, we
do recommend it."
Some diseases, like chickenpox, can be much more serious for adults, who are
more likely to develop complications. Pregnant women are at particular risk,
along with their unborn babies.
"Many of the vaccine-preventable diseases have no cures, so it is imperative
that we stop them with the use of vaccines," Curran said. "It’s easy to forget
that hundreds of thousands of people used to die from diseases we can now
prevent. Vaccines are the reason, so we can’t afford to take them for granted."
It’s also important when traveling to other countries to make sure both children
and adults receive the proper vaccinations.
Immunizations for children and adults are offered at Washington Clinic/Warm
Springs, Washington Clinic/Newark, and Nakamura Clinic, Union City. To make an
appointment, call (510) 797-7535 for the Newark clinic, (510) 651-2371 or (408)
946-6443 for the Warm Springs clinic or (510) 487-6000 for the Union City
clinic.
To help you learn about the signs and symptoms of the flu and other viruses, Dr.
Hoang Trinh, Medical Director of Washington Hospital’s Nakamura Clinic will
present a special Health & Wellness seminar on Tuesday, August 22 from 1 to 2
p.m. The seminar will be held in the Conference Center adjacent to Washington
Hospital’s Nakamura Clinic at 33077 Alvarado-Niles Road in Union City. To
register to attend - which is required - please call (800) 963-7070.
To learn more about services available at Washington Hospital’s primary care
clinics located in Newark, Warm Springs, Fremont and Union City, visit
www.whhs.com, click on "Our Facilities," and select "Washington Hospital
Clinics."
For current vaccinations recommended by the CDC for both children and adults,
visit www.cdc.gov/nip.
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