Get Your Other Vaccines Too

Photo: Shot of Prevention

Luckily I had a great primary care doctor a few years ago who was proactive and started me on the road of proactiveness! He retired and was replaced by another good doctor, a female this time, who I now see. I go for an annual physical, which you should not forget to do despite our fears and heightened focus on COVID-19. 

Of course you get your vitals taken and your blood drawn, but equally important, I receive excellent preventative care. One year my old doctor gave me a tetanus shot, which I had no idea I had to continue getting as an adult. The next year, he said his new target was childhood disease antibodies, and I'm sending your blood to the lab to see which ones you've had. Sure enough the report showed I had never had the mumps, so off I went to get vaccinated against it. Mumps ... if your listening, you're wasting your time as I've got the mumps' antibodies in my system now that will annihilate you without ever having been sick!

Photo: uhc.com

Several middle aged people I know who had chickenpox as a child, got shingles as adults, also called herpes zoster, an acute and painful inflammation of the nerve ganglia, with a skin eruption of blisters. It is caused by the same virus as chickenpox and lives in your body until it decides to rear its ugly self to make you sick again!

Eckkk! It's such a creepy-looking illness, you should google it. I can't bring myself to upload the image here. And more seriously, getting shingles has the possibility of leaving a few lingering aftereffects. If the rash breaks out close to your eye, it has the ability to blind you. Some people report ongoing sensitive or painful nerves in their bodies after the rash, itself, is gone.

If COVID is doing anything positive, it reminds us of the wonder and importance of science. How lucky are we to have available vaccines to avoid many infectious diseases that in earlier times killed many people, including children, and left others with lingering complications. Who the hell needs it???

Photo: cdc.gov

Go get your vaccines people if you haven't already. First for COVID and while waiting for the necessary time period to pass for its optimal effectiveness, make an appointment with your primary care doctor, so together you can determine what other preventitive vaccines to get next. Know what lies ahead of you so you're on top of your health. Invest the time in your health, dear readers! It's cheaper and a smart way of insuring a good quality of life! Nobody wants to get sick when they don't have too! 

Also, if you don't have a trusted primary care doctor, find one! Start by checking with your health insurance (online perhaps?) to bring up a list of providers who accept your policy. We all need gentle nudges to stay aware and healthy.

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Do Adults Need Booster Vaccines?

Photo: Vaccines ProCon

Perhaps your children are grown, out of the house, and you no longer think about vaccines. But did you know getting immunized against disease is a life long job? I did not really think about it. Recently my pharmacy sent me an email to get a booster shot for whooping cough, which prompted me to do research to see: (1) if doctors agree and (2) what other possible shots we need as adults. As it turns out there are a few to consider if you fall into certain catagories. Here is a list followed by links to learn more about each infection and who should be vaccinated:

A handy List 😷*****************************************************************************😷

Adult Vaccines You Need (source: Vaccineinformation.org)

1) Chickenpox (varicella) If you’ve never had chickenpox or were vaccinated but received only 1 dose, talk to your healthcare provider to find out if you need this vaccine. learn more 2) Haemophilus ingluenzae type b Some adults with certain high-risk conditions need vaccination with Hib. Talk to your healthcare provider to find out if you need this vaccine. learn more 3) Hepatitis A You need this vaccine if you have a specific risk factor for hepatitis A infection or if you simply want to be protected from this disease. The vaccine is usually given in 2 doses, 6 to 18 months apart. learn more 4) Hepatitis B You need this vaccine if you have a specific risk factor for hepatitis B infection or if you simply want to be protected from this disease. The vaccine is given in 3 doses, usually over 6 months. learn more 5) Human papillomavirus You need this vaccine if you are a woman age 26 years or younger or a man age 21 years or younger. Other men age 22 through 26 who want to be protected from HPV may receive it, too. Men age 22 through 26 years with a risk condition also need vaccination. Check with your healthcare provider. The vaccine is given in 3 doses over 6 months.  learn more 6) Influenza You need a dose every fall (or winter) for your protection and for the protection of others around you. learn more 7) Measles, Mumps, Rubella You need at least 1 dose of MMR if you were born in 1957 or later. Many people need a second dose. learn more: Measles • Mumps • Rubella 8) Meningococcal There are different types of meningococcal vaccines that are recommended for use in adults. People of all ages with certain medical conditions should get vaccinated and some should receive booster doses throughout life. These vaccines may be used to protect people during an outbreak of meningococcal disease. • Meningococcal conjugate vaccine or MenACWY: If you are a first-year college student living in a residence hall, you need a dose of MenACWY if you have never received it or received it when you were younger than 16. Adults who are at risk due to certain health conditions (for example, lack a spleen) need this vaccine. • Meningococcal serogroup B vaccine or MenB: MenB vaccine may be given to any adult who wants protection from this disease, preferably at 16–23 years of age. Adults who are at risk due to certain health conditions also need this vaccine. • Meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine or MPSV: Travelers to certain countries might need this vaccine. learn more 9) Pneumococcal Adults age 65 years and older should receive the two types of pneumococcal vaccines (PCV13 and PPSV23). You also need 1–2 doses at an earlier age if you smoke cigarettes or have certain medical conditions. Talk to your healthcare provider to find out when and how often you need to be protected from pneumococcal disease. learn more 10) Shingles (zoster) If you are age 60 (now 50) years or older, you should get a 1-time dose of this vaccine now. learn more 11) Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis (whooping cough)  All adults who have not yet received a dose of Tdap, as an adolescent or adult, need to get Tdap vaccine (the adult whooping cough vaccine). Pregnant women need a dose in every pregnancy. After that, you will need a Td booster dose every 10 years. Consult your healthcare provider if you haven’t had at least 3 tetanus- and diphtheria-containing shots sometime in your life or have a deep or dirty wound. learn more: Tetanus - Diphtheria - Whooping cough (Pertussis) Phew, the end! 😷************************************************************************😷 Keep the list in mind to ask your doctor when you go for a checkup. We are so lucky to have vaccines. Not so long ago typhoid, measles and whopping cough were a way of life. No longer! Preventative medicine costs pennies compared to the misery and complications of getting sick. Stay healthy folks!  You may also enjoy: Health Care Reform, A Doctor Weighs In Doctor's Orders: Is It Time For A Checkup? Probiotics To Balance Good And Bad Bacteria Remembering Prince Leopold, Duke Of Albany