Vaccination for Adult – an Advocacy

Neucrad Health India May 16, 2019

Health staffs throughout the world recently celebrated World Immunisation Week on the last week of April to promote awareness among the general population about the effectiveness of vaccination in preventing the outbreak of diseases. When we talk about immunisation, it is worthy of remembering that it is not only for the children. Individuals across all ages require timely vaccination to stay disease-free and lead a healthy life. According to WHO, there are approximately 20 million people all across the globe who still remain unvaccinated or under-vaccinated. This year the theme of Immunisation week is ‘Protected Together: Vaccines Work!’. Health workers are promoting the fact that immunisation is the most cost-effective and successful health intervention for the prevention of diseases.

Significant Diseases Against Which Adult Needs Vaccination

The immunisation schedule in most of the countries including India remains segregated into three categories- vaccination for babies and infants, immunisation for preteens, and vaccination for adults. There are also some unique vaccines meant for high-risk individuals like frequent travellers, military, health care professionals, gay and bisexual people. In this content, we would focus on couple important vaccines primarily on the immunisation for adults.

Flu Vaccine

Every year millions of people across the world suffer from influenza which can even lead to hospitalisation. WHO recommends an annual flu vaccine for all individuals above six months with some exception like those allergic to the vaccines or certain ingredients present in it like gelatine or antibiotics. People above 65 years should get the annual flu shot without any fail. Flu vaccines produce antibodies in the patient’s system after about two weeks from immunisation. These antibodies protect the vaccinated person from the invading flu pathogens. Traditional flu vaccine or trivalent vaccine protects against three types of flu virus- influenza A (H1N1) virus, influenza A (H3N2) virus, and influenza B virus. Currently, there is a quadrivalent vaccine available in the pharmacy which offers protection against the three common influenza virus and an additional influenza B virus.

Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs caused by a range of pathogens including bacteria (Streptococcus pneumoniae), mycoplasma, fungi, and viruses. Patients experience chest pain, breathing difficulties, cough, confusion, and nausea in this condition. Pneumonia along with influenza is one of the significant causes of death of patients worldwide. Sometimes pneumonia can also lead to infection in the bloodstream (bacteremia), or to meningitis which is an infection in the lining of the brain and spinal cord. CDC recommends all adults above 19 years to get this vaccine with a gap of one year. People above 65 years should compulsorily receive this vaccine. There are two types of pneumonia vaccine- PCV13 (pneumococcal conjugate vaccine) and PPSV23 (pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine). In addition to pneumonia, both these vaccines also protect against meningitis and bacteremia.

Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is another deadly infection of the liver causing scarring of the liver tissue, liver failure, and even liver cancer in future. The initial symptoms of the disease include jaundice, fever, light coloured stool discharge, fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, and stomach ache. WHO and CDC recommend everyone below 18 years to get this vaccine. If adults have not received their vaccine in childhood, they should also get three doses of Hepatitis B vaccine. In November 2017 FDA approved Heplisav-B (Dynavax)- a two-dose immunisation for Hepatitis B.

Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer is a malignancy developing at the cervix of women. Some strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) are the principal causal agents of this cancer. The common symptoms of cervical cancer include bleeding between menstrual cycle, bleeding after reaching menopause,  discomfort during sexual intercourse, bleeding after intercourse, and vaginal discharge with a tinge of blood. CDC recommends all women in the age group 9 to 26 years to get three doses of cervical cancer vaccine. Nowadays, vaccines are also available for men and women between 26 to 45 years for those who did not get the vaccine in younger years. However, this vaccine works best if individuals are not sexually active.

This was, in brief, some of the significant diseases against which all adults should get vaccinated. In addition to the conditions mentioned above, you can also receive vaccines for Hepatitis A, chickenpox, meningitis, and typhoid. So, get the vaccine and remain safe from diseases.