Vaccinations Not Just for Kids

By SHELLEY HANSON
MOUNDSVILLE — With the new school year just around the corner, hundreds of first-time students will need their immunization shots before stepping inside the classroom.

But school children aren’t the only ones who should be getting their shots, said Patty Owens, nurse director at the Marshall County Health Department.

In fact, Owens is recommending a new vaccination for adults and adolescents named TDAP, which is an immunization for diseases tetanus, diptheria and pertussis.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tetanus causes “a painful tightening of the muscles all over the body.” It also can cause a person’s jaw to lock. Diptheria, according to the CDC, causes “a thick covering in the back of the throat.” It can lead to respiratory problems, heart failure and death. Pertussis, or whooping cough, causes severe coughing, disturbed sleep and vomiting.

“Children have died of whooping cough. We want to make sure those caring for infants are vaccinated,” Owens said.

She noted one dose of TDAP also is recommended for children who haven’t had a booster shot and are entering kindergarten.

“I feel strongly about this. It’s a good vaccine. It will decrease disease in under-immunized people,” Owens noted of the TDAP.

Another relatively new vaccine is known as the HPV, or human papilloma virus, vaccine. Owens noted it is available for females ages 11-26, and has been shown to decrease cervical cancer in women. According to the CDC, it is administered in three shots over a six-month period.

For new school children the series of shots that are typically required include hepatitis B, a DTAP (not to be confused with TDAP), IPV or polio, a second MMR and a second varicella or chicken pox.

Hepatitus B is a virus that attacks the liver, according to the CDC.

The DTAP is a vaccination for diptheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis. The MMR is a vaccination for mumps, measles and rubella, Owens said.

With August being declared as National Immunization Awareness Month, Owens said people should talk to their doctor about what vaccinations they should receive or have updated.

“Vaccinations are safe, effective and protect our communities from infectious disease outbreaks,” Owens said.

She also noted while influenza shots typically are administered prior to the peak of flu season, adults age 65 and older can and should receive a pneumonia vaccination at anytime of the year.

According to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, “Vaccinations have eradicated smallpox, eliminated naturally occurring polio in the United States and significantly reduced the number of cases of measles, diptheria, rubella, pertussis and other diseases. But despite these efforts, today tens of thousands of people in the U.S. still die from these and other vaccine-preventable diseases.”