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2 Tammuz 5763 - July 2, 2003 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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Home and Family


Your Medical Questions Answered!
by Joseph B. Leibman, MD

Diplomate, Board Certification of Emergency Medicine

Chairman, Department of Emergency Medicine Ma'ayenei Hayeshua Hospital

Adult vaccinations are important. The flu virus has the ability to change itself with ease, so a flu shot every year is recommended for health professionals and those at risk. As flu can be debilitating -- four years ago more than half of the labor force in Holland was in bed due to the flu -- and because some cases do go bad -- 35000 people died of flu last year worldwide -- I think it is a good idea to get this shot. It takes about three weeks to develop immunity, so this shot is generally given during the autumn.

If you do not have a spleen or one that works, then you are at big risk for infection especially pneumoccocus; a bacterium that causes pneumonia and meningitis. There is an adult vaccine and it is given also to those with chronic disease, and those over 65. It is given only once.

Tetanus and diphtheria are not related to rust as we said before. Vaccinations are given every ten years, or once after the initial series, depending on whether you follow the American or the Canadian Medical Associations. If you got the initial series, there is never a need to get this shot emergently.

Hepatitis A vaccine is also a GlaxoSmithKline product and again, although it may show bias, I recommend this vaccine. Hepatitis A is rarely dangerous, but can put a patient in bed for three weeks with weakness -- a scenario that most of us can ill afford. Hepatitis B is dangerous and the vaccine is needed for those who are healthcare workers, dialysis patients, or others exposed to body fluids.

The meningitis vaccine is given to those who live in close quarters such as in dormitories where epidemics can spread fast. The Israeli army gives this immunization routinely.

The chicken pox shot -- another GlaxoSmithKline product -- is recommended for adults who never had the disease. We mentioned that the disease is more dangerous in adults, and you should know that people with shingles can spread this disease. Shingles is a painful rash that occurs on the part of the skin that is controlled by one nerve. What happens is that after someone has chicken pox as a youngster, the virus hides in the body buried in a nerve and runs down the nerve when there is a chance, that is, when immunity is weaker such as in the elderly. Antivirals work for this disease.

Yellow fever, cholera, typhoid vaccines are hard to get and are for travelers to areas where these diseases are rampant. The smallpox vaccine was recently recommended for health care workers due to bioterrorism. The vaccine can have some bad side effects, and they are working on improving this situation. An anthrax vaccine exists but not in enough quantity.

May Hashem deal with our enemies so that these last two vaccinations will not be necessary. Write me in care of the Yated.

GlaxoSmithKline is the sponsor of this column.

 

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