Vaccines

Flu shots are now available!

Flu shots are now available at Family Care for the 2016 flu season! Help protect you and everyone you come in contact with for the next few months by getting vaccinated against influenza. Here are some frequently asked questions that have been answered by the CDC about the flu vaccine:

Why should people get vaccinated against the flu?

Influenza is a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death. Every flu season is different, and influenza infection can affect people differently. Even healthy people can get very sick from the flu and spread it to others. Over a period of 31 seasons between 1976 and 2007, estimates of flu-associated deaths in the United States range from a low of about 3,000 to a high of about 49,000 people.

During recent flu seasons, between 80% and 90% of flu related deaths have occurred in people 65 years and older. “Flu season” in the United States can begin as early as October and last as late as May. During this time, flu viruses are circulating at higher levels in the U.S. population. An annual seasonal flu vaccine (either the flu shot or the nasal spray flu vaccine) is the best way to reduce the chances that you will get seasonal flu and spread it to others. When more people get vaccinated against the flu, less flu can spread through that community.

How do flu vaccines work?

Flu vaccines cause antibodies to develop in the body about two weeks after vaccination. These antibodies provide protection against infection with the viruses that are in the vaccine.

The seasonal flu vaccine protects against the influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming season. Traditional flu vaccines (called “trivalent” vaccines) are made to protect against three flu viruses; an influenza A (H1N1) virus, an influenza A (H3N2) virus, and an influenza B virus. There are also flu vaccines made to protect against four flu viruses (called “quadrivalent” vaccines). These vaccines protect against the same viruses as the trivalent vaccine and an additional B virus.

Who should get vaccinated this season?

Everyone 6 months of age and older should get a flu vaccine every season. This recommendation has been in place since February 24, 2010 when CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted for “universal” flu vaccination in the United States to expand protection against the flu to more people.

Vaccination to prevent influenza is particularly important for people who are at high risk of serious complications from influenza. See People at High Risk of Developing Flu-Related Complications for a full list of age and health factors that confer increased risk.

More information is available at Who Should Get Vaccinated Against Influenza.

Who Should Not Be Vaccinated?

CDC recommends use of the flu shot (inactivated influenza vaccine or IIV) and the recombinant influenza vaccine (RIV). The nasal spray flu vaccine (live attenuated influenza vaccine or LAIV) should not be used during 2016-2017. Different flu vaccines are approved for use in different groups of people. Factors that can determine a person’s suitability for vaccination, or vaccination with a particular vaccine, include a person’s age, health (current and past) and any allergies to flu vaccine or its components.

When should I get vaccinated?

Flu vaccination should begin soon after vaccine becomes available, if possible by October. However, as long as flu viruses are circulating, vaccination should continue to be offered throughout the flu season, even in January or later. While seasonal influenza outbreaks can happen as early as October, during most seasons influenza activity peaks in January or later. Since it takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body that protect against influenza virus infection, it is best that people get vaccinated so they are protected before influenza begins spreading in their community.

Flu vaccine is produced by private manufacturers, and the timing of availability depends on when production is completed. Shipments began in August and will continue throughout October and November until all vaccine is distributed.

Are you up to date on your vaccines?

This is our nurse Melissa’s first blog post! Yay!

August is an exciting month here at Family Care because August is National Immunization Awareness month! This includes two of my favorite things: vaccines and patient education! I love vaccines so much that I spent three days of my vacation at the Clinical Vaccionology Conference last fall to learn more about vaccines. Once I get started talking about vaccines, why they are needed, and how they work, it’s hard for me to stop.

Why do I do get so passionate about vaccines? The main reason is because they prevent diseases and it’s probably the quickest and easiest way to improve your health. There are so many stories of people who have severe complications from diseases that could have been prevented – take polio, for example. Almost every adult over the age of 40 knows someone that was affected by polio but, now in 2016, it’s almost entirely eradicated in all but three countries in the world as a result of vaccinations to prevent the disease.

I also enjoy having conversations with patients regarding their fears and concerns about vaccines and giving them the information available to make educated decisions regarding their health. Throughout the month we’ll have different posts that focus on different vaccines and the concerns that surround them.

This week, our focus is on adult immunizations.

The need for vaccines does not end in childhood. All adults need vaccines based on their age, lifestyle, occupations, travel plans, and medical conditions. Adult vaccinations include Influenza, Tetanus/TDaP, Shingles, Pneumococcal, HPV, and Hepatitis A and B.

Each year thousands of adults are hospitalized or die from vaccine preventable diseases. According to the National Public Health Information Coalition an average of 226,000 people are hospitalized due to influenza and between 3,000 and 49,000 people die of influenza and its complications, the majority are among adults. 900,000 people get pneumococcal pneumonia every year, leading to as many as 400,000 hospitalizations and 19,000 deaths. In the U.S., HPV causes about 17,000 cancers in women, and about 9,000 cancers in men each year. About 4,000 women die each year from cervical cancer. All of these incidents could be prevented with proper vaccination.

It is not only important for adults to receive vaccines to protect themselves, but also to protect others in the community by preventing the spread of disease to those with weakened immune systems that may be more susceptible to the disease. If you aren’t sure if you are up-to-date on your vaccines, you should contact your healthcare provider today to help protect yourself and decrease the prevalence of these preventable diseases.

For additional information the CDC has great website on vaccines and the diseases they prevent. You can even take a quiz to find out what vaccines you might need. Feel free to leave your questions in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them! #VaxWithMe #NIAM16

August is National Immunization Month!

During National Immunization Awareness Month, the Family Care blog will be featuring several resources on vaccines and why it is important to stay up to date with all recommended vaccinations, for everyone from children to adults.

From the National Public Health Coalition:

National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) is an annual observance held in August to highlight the importance of vaccination for people of all ages. NIAM was established to encourage people of all ages to make sure they are up to date on the vaccines recommended for them. Communities have continued to use the month each year to raise awareness about the important role vaccines play in preventing serious, sometimes deadly, diseases. NIAM is sponsored by the National Public Health Information Coalition (NPHIC). For more information on the observance, visit NPHIC’s NIAM website.

All adults should get vaccines to protect their health. Even healthy adults can become seriously ill, and can pass certain illnesses on to others. Everyone should have their vaccination needs assessed at their doctor’s office, pharmacy or other visits with healthcare providers. Certain vaccines are recommended based on a person’s age, occupation or health conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes or heart disease. Vaccination is important because it not only protects the person receiving the vaccine, but also helps prevent the spread of disease, especially to those that are most vulnerable to serious complications such as infants and young children, elderly, and those with chronic conditions and weakened immune systems.

All adults, including pregnant women, should get the influenza (flu) vaccine each year to protect against seasonal flu. Every adult should have one dose of Tdap vaccine (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis or whooping cough) if they did not get Tdap as a teen, and then get the Td (tetanus and diphtheria) booster vaccine every 10 years. In addition, pregnant women are recommended to get the Tdap vaccine each time they are pregnant, preferably at 27 through 36 weeks.

Adults 60 year and older are recommended to receive the shingles vaccine. And adults 65 and older are recommended to receive one or more pneumococcal vaccines. Some adults younger than 65 years with certain high risk conditions are also recommended to receive one or more pneumococcal vaccinations.

Adults may need other vaccines – such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B and HPV – depending on their age, occupation, travel, medical conditions, vaccinations they have already received or other considerations.