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Vaccines & vaccinations guide
Hib (Haemophilus Influenzae Type B) is transmitted through coughing or sneezing. Moisture containing the Hib bacterium sprays from the mouth or nasal passage and infects others. Typically, the disease only affects children under the age of five. Most commonly, infants and toddlers are more apt to contract Hib.
Hib is proven to cause meningitis. Meningitis is then able to create many infections from pneumonia to a swollen epiglottis to infections in the blood stream. Young children who are infected can have breathing difficulties, blindness, deafness, reduced mental capabilities, and more. If the disease transgresses, it can lead to death.
The disease was easily spread in daycare and preschool settings leading to an increased push to find a vaccine that eliminated the bacterial infection. Developed in 1980s and used regularly since 1990, the vaccine has proven to be 99% effective in stopping the spread of this bacterial infection.
Vaccines & vaccinations guide
Did you know that doctors are now recommending that girls as young as the age of ten be given the HPV vaccine? It is outrageous, yet it is happening frequently. To take a good look at this issue, one needs to understand what HPV is and why doctors feel children need the vaccine.
HPV (Human Papillomavirus) is a contagious virus that is linked to at least half of the recorded cases of cervical cancer. HPV is spread through sexual contact and there are no warning signs. In at least 90% of all people who contact HPV, the virus goes away without any issue. In others, it can lead to cervical cancer. For this reason, the HPV vaccine is highly recommended to any sexually active woman.
Statistics show that children as young as ten are becoming sexually active. For this reason, a simple check-up is bringing up a serious question for parents of those from the age of 10 to 16: Is my child sexually active? Does she need the vaccine?
Vaccines & vaccinations guide
Vaccinating your child can be a difficult decision for the average parent. If your child has an underlying condition such as allergies, diabetes, cancer, or an immune disorder, vaccinations can be deadly. It is essential to know which, if any, versions of a vaccination are safe.
If you are a part to a child with allergies, many vaccinations contain allergy-prone ingredients. Milk, eggs, and gelatin are only a small sampling of the ingredients. If your child is allergic to common antibiotics (streptomycin, neomycin, or polymyxin B), avoid the polio and chickenpox vaccines.
Children who are allergic to eggs will need to skip vaccines for Yellow Fever, Influenza, and some versions of MMR. Check with your doctor as some MMR vaccines contain a miniscule amount of egg and are considered safe. Allergies to gelatin may be aggravated by vaccinations for MMR, chickenpox, and Yellow Fever.
Vaccines & vaccinations guide
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) suggests all children from time of birth are vaccinated for many potentially fatal diseases. Their guidelines start from the time of birth throughout, up to a child’s eighteenth birthday. Many school districts will not accept children into the school unless they have a complete vaccination record.
Parents opting to not vaccinate their children are usually forced to provide documents citing their religious or ethic reasons for not vaccinating a child, or they must home-school their child.
Before a newborn leaves the hospital with his or her parents, a first dose of the Hepatitis B¹ vaccine is given. Follow-up care with a pediatrician is highly recommended to ensure an infant receives all necessary vaccinations.
Vaccines & vaccinations guide
Influenza (flu) is a nasty illness that can create havoc with a person’s routine and health. The flu is easily spread from person to person through sneezing and coughing. You will certainly know if you have the flu. Common symptoms include exhaustion, fever, coughing, muscle aches, runny nose, and chills. It can be hard to even move from the bed to the bathroom if you get the flu.
Elderly adults and young children are at risk of complications including pneumonia, croup, and myocarditis (inflamed heart tissue.) Typically, the flu causes more than 148,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths every year.
The vaccine is 90% effective in healthy adults and 70% effective for the elderly and children. Those with ailments or conditions will find the vaccination is between 50 and 70% effective.
Vaccines & vaccinations guide
Meningitis is an infection of the brain and spinal cord coverings that is caused by bacteria known as Neisseria meningitides. Symptoms include fever, sore throat, neck stiffness, headache, and muscle and joint pain. The symptoms can rapidly progress to include seizures, circulation troubles, and neurological troubles. If circulation decreases enough, gangrene can set in and amputation can become necessary.
Currently, there are 2,600 cases of meningitis every year and most of those cases are in children under the age of five. Typically, college settings and poor areas (third world countries) pose the most danger as the disease spreads rapidly among unvaccinated children, teens, and young adults.
While doctors do not recommend every one receive a vaccination, they do urge the vaccine for all military recruits, college students, and people traveling to Africa, laboratory personnel, and those in areas where meningitis is spreading. The vaccine can cause complications in people who are allergic to latex, so talk to your doctor first.
Vaccines & vaccinations guide
Members of the military must receive shots beyond what the typical man, woman, and child receive. Beyond, the usual childhood vaccines and adult boosters, military receive vaccines for uncommon illnesses.
The smallpox vaccine includes a series of fifteen needle pricks. Following the injections, the injection site is not to be touched (anyone touching the injection site can become infected). After a week, the doctor inspects the site to make sure there is a clear sign of reaction on the skin.
If signs show the reaction, then the doctor knows the body has created the necessary antibodies from the injection. Common side effects are swollen lymph glands and a moderate fever. 1 of every 10,000 people vaccine develops swelling in the brain or cardiac problems that can lead to death.
Vaccines & vaccinations guide
Recent suggestions by anti-vaccine groups state that there is a link between autism and the vaccination for Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR). Studies by many health organizations have found no solid evidence supporting this statement; so do not panic if you hear that the shot is dangerous. It’s best to look at the statistics.
Measles is a viral disease spread through saliva (sneezing or coughing.) The illness starts with a fever, coughing, runny nose, and pink eye. From there a rash, croup, diarrhea, ear infections, and pneumonia can all occur.
In one out of every 1,000 cases, the virus leads to brain damage. Close to .003% of those infected with the measles dies every year. Measles related deaths are more closely attached to infants and children with underlying health conditions.
Vaccines & vaccinations guide
Pneumococci are a group of bacteria that multiply in the nose and throat. Typically, the disease causes sinus and middle ear infections, but in some cases it can be far more dangerous.
Dangerous Pneumococcal infections (called Invasive Pneumococcal) are more likely to affect infants, toddlers, and the elderly, though there are other risk factors. You are at an even higher risk for Pneumococcal if you are an African-American, Native American, Eskimo, diabetic, or have an immune deficiency. Every year, the bacterial infection progresses into meningitis, bacteremia, or pneumonia.
Every year, 1,400 cases of meningitis develop from Pneumococcal. Meningitis is a bacterial infection that attacks the lining of the brain and spinal cord. 17,000 yearly cases of bacteremia (a serious blood infection) follow a Pneumococcal diagnosis.
Vaccines & vaccinations guide
Caused by an intestinal virus, Polio can be transferred through saliva or feces. Currently, Polio does not exist in much of the world, only third world countries still report cases of the disease.
The majority of those who contract polio never show signs at all. A few become feverish, nauseous, and may throw up. One to two percent of those infected find their body aches for a week or so and then clears up. Less than one out of every 1,000 cases become partially paralyzed for a short time. Of those who experience the temporary paralysis, muscle pain and weakness often returns a few decades later.
After the polio vaccine became public, the number of cases fell dramatically and eventually stopped completely. The last reported case of polio happened in 1993 causing the World Health Organization to consider listing the disease as having completely been eradicated from the planet.