Important Information on Vaccinations
Information supplied by Leila Leisch, RN, CIC
Should you or anyone in your family be immunized for meningitis? How about chicken pox or tetanus? Here's the latest on how to protect you and your family from several preventable diseases through immunizations.
This information is supplied by Leila Leisch, RN, CIC, infection control coordinator with ProHealth Care, Inc., the parent company for Waukesha Memorial hospitals.
Hepatitis B
If you have a preadolescent, adolescent or college-aged child, he or she may be at risk of contracting hepatitis B, a serious liver disease. In 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics began recommending that people ages birth to 21 years old be vaccinated against this very serious and fairly common infection.
Most cases occur among sexually active young adults. Immunization provides protection for at least five years.
Childhood immunizations are directed at eliminating the 300,00 new cases per year and 5,000 deaths which occur from hepatitis B and from liver cancer caused by hepatitis B.
The virus is 100 times easier to contract than HIV. Some people with hepatitis B are carriers, meaning they have no symptoms but can pass the virus to others.
The virus can be spread through sexual contact; coming in contact with blood; sharing razors; and using unsterilized equipment for body piercing and tattooing. Drug users who share needles are at very high risk. Hepatitis B cannot be spread from sneezing, coughing or holding hands.
Hepatitis A
A vaccine is available to protect those who may have been exposed to this most common and highly infectious cause of liver disease. The disease, transmitted by contaminated food or water, runs its course within two months and the virus does not remain in the body.
Hepatitis C
There is no vaccine for this form of hepatitis
Chicken Pox
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Practitioners both recommend that healthy individuals one year and older be vaccinated for chicken pox. Older children and adults who have not yet contracted chicken pox also can be vaccinated.
The chicken pox vaccine (technically called the varicella-zoster vaccine) prevents the disease or at least diminishes its severity. Although uncommon, chicken pox can cause complications including bacterial infections of the skin, pneumonia and encephalitis. These complications are more likely to occur in adults. Studies have shown the vaccine to be greater than 85 percent effective for up to 20 years. If an immunized person later contracts chicken pox, the illness tends to be much milder and the risk of complications is thought to be less.
If further studies suggest that the vaccine wears off over time, booster immunizations will be made available.
Bacterial Meningitis
Some universities, including the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, are encouraging college students to consider getting immunized against bacterial (meningococcal) meningitis. Though rare, this infection of the central nervous system can leave permanent neurological damage -- including brain damage, hearing loss, and vision loss -- if treatment is delayed. The disease is transmitted by direct contact with respiratory secretions. (Transmission by indirect contact is doubtful.)
The vaccination, though not foolproof, has proven effective against several types of meningitis reported among college students.
Tetanus
Too many of us are at risk of this serious disease, also called lockjaw. The germs that cause tetanus thrive in dust and dirt and enter the body through breaks in the skin. Thus, any dirty wound -- not just the proverbial rusty nail wound -- can cause tetanus. Speak with your physician about whether you should have a tetanus booster every 10 years.
Influenza
You should have this annual vaccination in October or November if you fall into any of the following groups: will be in your second or third trimester of pregnancy during flu season; are 65 years of age or older; live in a nursing home or continuing care facility; have diabetes, a chronic heart or lung disorder, renal disease, liver disease, a blood disease. Cancer, or HIV; have an immune system that is suppressed by disease or medication; are a healthcare worker; are a child or teen receiving long-term aspirin therapy. Healthy adults living with anyone in this group also should be vaccinated.
Pneumococcal
Anyone over age 65 should receive this one-time vaccine at age 65. Those with the above underlying medical conditions and anyone with alcoholism or without a spleen should receive the vaccine at age 50.
CDC Issues Warning on Infant Vaccination
In light of potential and harmful side effects, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in July recommended suspending the rotavirus vaccine. The vaccine generally is administered to infants at 2 months, 4 months and 6 months. If your child has started the vaccination course, the CDC recommends it be halted. The rotavirus vaccine- given to prevent a virus that causes diarrhea, vomiting and mild fever- may increase the risk of intussusception, a serious condition in which one segment of the intestine telescopes into another.
Intussessception also occurs in children who have not had the rotavirus vaccine. When diagnosed quickly,
the condition is correctable. Symptoms include persistent vomiting, bloody or black stools, abdominal bloating and severe colic pain. Contact your physician if your child has any of these symptoms.
Information supplied by Waukesha Memorial Hospital. Back to Experts' Advice
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