What could be more important than a virus that prevents cancer in young women? In June of this year, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first vaccine for preventing cervical cancer, precancerous lesions of the vagina and vulva, and genital warts. 

 

Approved for girls and women ages 9-26 years of age, the vaccine prevents infection from four strains of HPV, the sexually transmitted virus responsible for about 70% of cervical cancers and 90% of genital warts.  Since the vaccine doesn’t confer complete protection, vaccinated women should still be screened for cervical cancer. If one already has genital warts, one still may receive some benefit from the vaccine as it can protect you from the strains that you don’t already have. Check with your insurance company to see if this vaccine is now covered for you. 

 

It is a series of three immunizations. This is truly a break through in medical science, and I strongly urge all women 9 years to 26 years of age to consider this. Once one develops cervical cancer, this vaccine does not help, as it is purely for prevention. 

Public health officials are now recommending that even healthy children be immunized each year from ages 2 years through 5 years. Also all people who care for those children should also get a flu shot regardless of their age.  Infants have been recommended to receive the immunization on a yearly basis beginning at 6 months of age through 23 months of age.

 

Vaccinating the young could also help with the risk of infection to the elderly they may come in contact with.  I strongly urge all of you to consider having your children immunized even for ages beyond 5 years of age, especially if there are elderly or infants in the area.  The CDC, as previously suggested wants adults from 50 and over receive an annual flu vaccine.

 

Obviously anyone with chronic diseases should be receiving the vaccine no matter what age they are.  Influenza vaccine changes are still required on a yearly basis. Flu shots are now available from your doctors and clinics. Call for an appointment. Many offices do not require a doctor’s visit to receive the vaccine, but do require an appointment for the shot. If your doctor has no vaccine, seek out a clinic.

Pneumoccocal disease kills more people in the United States each year than all other vaccine-preventable diseases combined. The vaccine is not perfectly protective, but people who are vaccinated and still develop pneumonia have fewer complications and a better chance of survival according to recent research.

 

The pneumoccocal polysaccharide vaccine is recommended for those 65 and over or anyone over 2 years of age with weakened immunity or a chronic health problem. There is also a pneumoccocal vaccine now given to infants as part of the infant series of immunizations.

 

These vaccines only protect against bacterial pneumoccocal disease. However, that is still the most common cause of bacterial pneumonia in the United States. One can still get other types of pneumonia despite being immunized against pneumoccocal disease.

Since the recent cases of mumps appeared in Iowa in December 2005, more than 4,700 people have developed this infectious viral disease. Outbreaks, mostly among 18-24 year olds, have appeared in at least 15 states, but appear to be declining at least temporarily. 

 

No matter where you live, make sure you had your measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. If you don’t know your medical history of being immunized for mumps, you can be vaccinated just in case. Pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems should not be vaccinated, but they should encourage anyone in regular close contact with them to do so.

 

It is now suggested that infants receive two MMR vaccines. If you’ve had the mumps disease, you are considered immune.

Chickenpox is caused by the varicella virus. The CDC has recently suggested that we all should have two varicella immunizations in our lifetime. Again studies have shown that long lasting immunity is not present. Your physician will be asking your children to get a second immunization between ages 4 and 6 years of age. If they are already beyond that age, there will be a “catch up” period throughout their childhood and adolescent years.

 

It is particularly important for adults who are not immune to also be immunized, as chickenpox in adults can be deadly. Another group that chickenpox is particularly injurious to is the prenatal patients. If one develops chickenpox in pregnancy, 25% will develop pneumonia and 5-10% will actually die. 

 

The vaccine itself however, cannot be given in pregnancy so it is important to be immunized before one considers pregnancy. If you have actually had the chickenpox disease in the past, it is thought that this does confer lifelong immunity.

 There is now a pertussis vaccine for the first time that should be given to adults. Until recently one could only be immunized against whooping cough (pertussis) up to the 7th birthday. There is now a vaccine that can be given from 11 years of age to 65 that includes diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. This is particularly important in our area because of the un-immunized (for the most part) Amish. Every year we see whooping cough in our area.

 

Within 10 years of our childhood immunizations, there is very little if any immunity remaining against whooping cough. The next time an adult needs a tetanus shot, ask your physician if the immunization is available that combines the tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough in one shot. Presently there is a national shortage of this, but if it is available, the CDC suggests that you get that combination shot.

 

Once again, adults can transmit pertussis to younger age groups that might have a much more severe disease, although adults can cough from whooping cough for two to three months. Once one comes down with whooping cough, the immunization does not help. Again, it is only preventative.