Immunizations:

They’re Not Just for Children!

By Lenny Pacholski, Parrish Nurse

Although most adults realize immunizations play an important role in keeping infants and children healthy, many are unaware that readily available vaccines offer a safe and cost-effective way to prevent serious illnesses and death among adults.

As many as 50,000 adults in the U.S. die each year from vaccine preventable diseases or their complications. By preventing illness, vaccinations save many healthcare dollars by keeping people healthy and avoiding expensive hospitalizations to treat illnesses such as flu and pneumonia. Immunizations help reduce absences at work, school and social events and decrease the spread of illness in the home, workplace and community.

This month’s Octagon discussion focuses on the more common vaccine-preventable illnesses: influenza, pneumococcal and tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis.

Influenza vaccination is the primary method for preventing influenza and its severe complications. Each year, it is estimated that approximately 36,000 people in the U.S. will die from influenza or complications from influenza. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends annual influenza vaccination for the following groups:

• Persons at high risk for influenza-related complications and severe disease, including pregnant women, people over 50 years old, people of any age with chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, asthma, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease and HIV, and all adults residing in long-term care facilities.

• Persons who live with or care for individuals at high risk, including household contacts who have frequent contact with persons at high risk and who can transmit influenza to those persons at high risk and health-care workers.

Now is the time to get your influenza vaccine. Flu season typically runs from November through March, with the most cases being reported during January and February. There are many options for obtaining your annual flu shot. If you missed the FPC flu clinic, check with your primary care provider, the Fairfax County Health Department or your local pharmacy for flu clinic information. Medicare part B and most all major insurance carriers will cover the cost of the flu vaccine.

Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine (PPV) is indicated for the prevention of illnesses related to the pneumococcal bacteria. Pneumococcal disease can lead to serious infections of the lungs (pneumonia), the blood (bacteremia) and the covering of the brain (bacterial meningitis). Anyone can get pneumococcal disease. However, certain individuals are at greater risk from the disease, including the very young, people 65 years and older and individuals with chronic health problems such as alcoholism, heart or lung disease, diabetes, kidney failure, HIV infection or AIDS, organ transplant recipients and certain types of cancer.

Who should get PPV?  The ACIP and CDC recommend the following be vaccinated:

• All adults 65 years of age and older.

• Anyone 19 to 64 years of age who suffers from any of the chronic medical conditions mentioned above.

• Alaskan Natives and certain Native American populations.

Usually one dose of PPV is sufficient to provide coverage. Under certain circumstances a second dose may be given. If you are 65 or older and received your first PPV before age 65 and at least 5 years have passed, a second dose is recommended. If you suffer from any chronic medical conditions and received your first dose of PPV before age 65, you should receive a second dose. There is no evidence that providing a PPV vaccine every 7 to 10 years reduces the death rate from pneumococcal related illnesses. If you are unsure about your PPV status, check with your primary care provider.

Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis (Td, Tdap) is a combination vaccine to prevent tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough). Due to increased immigration and foreign travel, these once rarely reported diseases are resurging, particularly whooping cough, which affected an estimated 600,000 adults last year, and, in addition to weeks of coughing, can result in cracked ribs from severe coughing spells, pneumonia and other complications. Who should get Tetanus/Diphtheria or Tetanus/Diphtheria/Pertussis vaccines?

• If you have not had at least three tetanus and diphtheria shots sometime in your life, you need to get them now. All adults need a Td booster dose every 10 years.

• If you are younger than 65 years of age and have not had a whooping cough vaccine as an adult, you should receive one dose of Tdap in place of a Td booster.

As with any vaccine, be sure to consult with your health care provider to make sure you are up-to-date for all your adult immunizations. Getting immunized is a lifelong, life-protecting job.

Next month’s Octagon will focus on other recommended adult immunizations..