Should Older People Take Advantage Of Available Vaccines?

Today's post from bgdailynews.com (see link below) may seem slightly off-topic as far as this blog is concerned but actually, very little publicity is given to the fact that vaccinations can be very useful for adults with other conditions, as well as children. It's important to know which vaccinations are available and whether they're available in your area. As far as neuropathy patients are concerned, the so-called shingles vaccine is generally available to older people but possibly not publicised because of rising costs in health sectors - nevertheless, it's an important vaccine if you've had or are susceptible to shingles and/or neuropathy. Other vaccines mentioned here may also be of interest to people living with neuropathy - discuss it with your doctor.
 

Vaccines important for adults to lower exposure to diseases  
By ALYSSA HARVEY aharvey@bgdailynews.com Aug 23, 2015

When many people think of immunizations, they automatically assume they are strictly for kids, but adults need them as well.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the more people who are vaccinated, the lower the possible risk of anyone’s exposure to vaccine-preventable diseases.

“The challenge is keeping up with vaccines that you’ve had. People forget it’s important to keep track,” said Julie Anderson, practice manager at the Glasser Clinic.

“That’s one of the advantages of having a family doctor because we keep track of that.”

Being immunized is important even as people grow older, said Dr. Jayashree Seshadri, an internist and employee health physician at The Medical Center.

“As you get older your immunity comes down and you’re susceptible to all kinds of illnesses,” she said.

Many vaccinations will provide a booster effect, Anderson said.

“The immunity doesn’t always last forever,” she said.

World travelers need to be immunized, Anderson said.

“If somebody’s traveling to an area of the world where they might have more or different diseases than we have here then you can get vaccinations for them,” she said.

A lot of people are asking for the whooping cough vaccine, Anderson said. The whooping cough immunization, which is part of the tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis vaccine, also known as Tdap, is recommended by the CDC to be gotten in one dose and then a booster dose every 10 years.

“Sometimes kids get whooping cough, but we have a mild infection and give it to kids who have not been immunized,” said Seshadri. “It’s very important when you’re around a newborn child you are immunized for the whooping cough.”

People also ask about the shingles vaccine, Anderson said.

“If you’ve had chicken pox as a child, you’re more prone to get shingles as an adult. (Vaccines) may prevent that. No vaccination is 100 percent guaranteed,” she said. “Check with your insurance carrier to see what vaccinations they cover. Medicare covers shingles vaccine in a pharmacy setting only, and that’s in an attempt to save costs. You have to have a prescription for that.”

The shingles vaccine is recommended for people 60 and older, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved them for ages 50 and older, Seshadri said.

“The only problem is that it is a live virus vaccine, so you have to talk to your doctor about whether or not to get it,” she said.

Fever and stress can cause the dormant chicken pox to become shingles. Complications from shingles include painful lesions and nerve pain called neuropathy that lasts after the lesions heal.

“The older you get, the opportunity of getting shingles is higher. The vaccine is designed to prevent the flare ups,” she said.

“Even if you get the flare ups they’re not as severe as they could be.”

Another vaccine elderly people over 65 should think about is for pneumonia, which can cause complications and death. Younger people with certain health conditions – including diabetes, heart failure, sickle cell disease and HIV – may also be recommended to be immunized. The vaccine is given in two doses, Seshadri said. One of them has been developed in the last two years.

“Even if you were vaccinated with the old vaccine, it’s important to think about the new vaccine,” she said.

It is vital to have flu shots every year, Seshadri and Anderson agreed.

“We know that flu is a contagious infection,” she said. “It can be mild or severe and sometimes causes death.”

Other vaccines Seshadri recommended include a tetanus shot every 10 years; the meningitis shot, particularly for those who will live in a college residence hall; and the human papillomavirus shot.

“We’re trying to catch them as kids, but if you are not vaccinated you can get them as adults,” she said of the human papillomavirus vaccine.

— For more information about adult vaccination schedules, visit the CDC website at cdc.gov.

— Follow features reporter Alyssa Harvey on Twitter at twitter.com/bgdnfeatures or visit bgdailynews.com.

http://www.bgdailynews.com/news/vaccines-important-for-adults-to-lower-exposure-to-diseases/article_8a4fd809-f808-533e-8a0a-7b705220814a.html