Adults: Don’t forget to get vaccinated
Vaccines still necessary to prevent some diseases
Vaccines have made more of an impact on public health than any other strategy except safe drinking water, according to the National Partnership for Immunization (NPI) in Bethesda, MD. Yet vaccine-preventable diseases still occur in the United States.
According to NPI, pneumococcal disease causes approximately 17,000 cases of invasive disease among children younger than 5 years old, resulting in 700 cases of meningitis and 200 deaths each year. However, failure to keep children’s immunization schedules up to date not only impacts their health in childhood, it often puts them at risk in adulthood as well. The risk of complications and death from chickenpox is 10-20 times greater for adults than children. Because chickenpox is endemic in the United States, anyone who is not vaccinated is at increased risk for contracting the disease in adulthood.
For these reasons and many others, NPI has designated August as National Immunization Awareness Month. They encourage health care organizations to schedule community outreach events to educate the public about the benefits of immunization during this month.
Many Americans think that vaccines are for infants and children, but recommended vaccinations begin soon after birth and should continue throughout life. There generally is good coverage among young children and older adults, but adolescents and adults usually do not have up-to-date immunization records, says David A. Neumann, PhD, director of the National Partnership for Immunizations.
For example, the last time most adults had a tetanus shot, they were on their way to summer camp, yet this vaccine should be given every 10 years. In addition, many adolescents and adults could be at risk for hepatitis A and B and would benefit from these vaccinations.
Some adolescents need to be vaccinated for meningitis. Last year, there was an outbreak of meningitis among college students with several deaths, yet many people don’t know it is a vaccine-preventable disease. There is an increased incidence of meningitis among students living in dormitories, particularly among first-year students, says Neumann.
[For more information about immunizations or National Immunization Awareness Month, contact: David A. Neumann, PhD, Director, National Partnership for Immunization, 4733 Bethesda Ave., Bethesda, MD 20814. Telephone: (301) 656-0003. Web site: www.partnersforimmunization.org.]
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