Vaccines: Who needs them and when
Vaccines also play a role in preventive health. A number of factors -- including age, lifestyle and previous illnesses -- can help healthy adults decide whether to get a specific shot. Here is some general advice.
* Tetanus-diphtheria vaccine: every 10 years. These vaccines are packaged in one shot, but a new form, pending final approval by the Department of Health and Human Services, will include inoculation against pertussis, or whooping cough.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. Feb. 18, 2006 For The Record
Los Angeles Times Saturday February 18, 2006 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 3 inches; 109 words Type of Material: Correction
Adult vaccines -- An article about vaccines for adults, which appeared in the Feb. 13 Health section, said that a combined tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis vaccine was pending final approval by the Department of Health and Human Services. The article should have said the vaccine had been approved by the FDA and was available. Also, the article said the pneumococcal vaccine was recommended every 10 years for adults 65 or older. For normal healthy adults, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends one vaccination for people 65 or older. Also, the article recommended Hepatitis A vaccination for healthcare workers. In fact, the CDC does not recommend routine vaccination of healthcare workers.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Monday February 20, 2006 Home Edition Health Part F Page 10 Features Desk 3 inches; 99 words Type of Material: Correction
Adult vaccines -- A Feb. 13 Health section article about vaccines for adults said that a combined tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis vaccine was pending final approval by the Department of Health and Human Services. In fact, the vaccine has been approved by the FDA and is available. Also, the article stated that the pneumococcal vaccine is recommended every 10 years for adults 65 and older; for most adults, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends one vaccination for those 65 or older. Also, the article recommended hepatitis A vaccination for healthcare workers; the CDC doesn’t recommend routine vaccination of healthcare workers.
Anyone who contracts a dirty wound within five years of the booster shot might want to get another, says Dr. David Baron, chief of staff at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center. There’s no risk in getting a tetanus shot more often than necessary.
* Influenza vaccine: annually for healthcare workers and adults 50 and older. Also recommended for people with heart or lung disease, asthma, diabetes mellitus and immunosuppressive disorders because they’re at greater risk of hospitalization from the flu.
* Pneumococcal vaccine: every 10 years for adults 65 and older. Also recommended for anyone with a chronic respiratory illness, such as emphysema or asthma, and certain chronic illnesses, such as diabetes or cancer. “This is a pathetically overlooked, lifesaving vaccine that protects against many strains of the most common types of pneumonia that affect older Americans,” says Baron.
* Hepatitis A vaccine: One series of two doses is believed to provide lifetime immunity. Recommended for people with occupational exposure to the virus, such as healthcare workers, and anyone traveling to a country where hepatitis A is prevalent. Those who frequent restaurants that could have poorly washed produce may also want to consider a hepatitis A vaccine. “Hepatitis A can hitchhike along with fruits and vegetables traveling here from countries with lower standards for sanitation,” says Dr. Jonathan Temte, associate professor of family medicine at the University of Wisconsin.
* Hepatitis B vaccine: One series of three doses is believed to provide lifetime immunity. Recommended for people who have multiple sexual partners, use drugs intravenously or travel to parts of the world where the blood supply might not be safe.
* Measles-mumps-rubella vaccine: One series usually provides lifetime immunity. Recommended for anyone who wasn’t fully inoculated or didn’t have the diseases as a child.
* Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine: One series of two doses usually provides lifetime immunity. Recommended for any adult who doesn’t have immunity.
For additional information, go to the website of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov.
