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Many adults in need of shots

• Adults need their immunization shots, too, public health officials say.

Susan McCord

ALBANY — The flu. Hepatitis A and B. Meningitis. Shingles.

Potentially painful or even deadly, all also are highly preventable if Southwest Georgians realize their level of risk and get immunized, said Dr. Jacqueline Grant, District Health Director.

“It’s not that much of an access problem, it’s more of a lack of awareness,” said Grant, who oversees health departments in the 14-county district. “Vaccinations cut down on illness and time away from work, and prevent the complications which can be devastating from these diseases.”

The district is promoting awareness about 10 vaccinations in preparation for National Adult Immunization Week Sept. 23-29.

Among them is the vaccine for influenza, which kills 36,000 each year in the United States.

“That’s a lot of deaths that could be prevented with the injections,” said Grant.

Annual vaccinations for the flu and pneumonia are recommended for the elderly, small children and anyone who may be around infected people.

Hepatitis A, B and C may appear as yellowed skin and eyes, but can develop into chronic liver disease, cirrhosis of the liver and eventually liver failure. A vaccine is available for Hep A and B but not C.

Hepatitis A is contracted from oral or fecal pathogens often found in contaminated water or food but usually has fewer complications than Hepatitis B. A vaccination is recommended for people in at-risk environments.

Hepatitis B is considered a sexually transmitted disease; it also may be transmitted through blood products or by sharing needles, Grant said.

“People at risk would certainly be someone having sex with someone that has Hepatitis B, by having other sexually transmitted diseases, men who have sex with other men, people that inject IV drugs or people who have jobs in which (they) have contact with human blood,” she said.

The vaccine against human papillomavirus is recommended for women ages 9-26, Grant said.

“It is the virus that causes cervical cancer, genital cancers in men and genital warts,” she said. HPV immunizations, not fully tested for men, are recommended “before sexual activity occurs.”

Men or women who have contracted HPV may not know it until they have an abnormal pap smear or the appearance of a genital wart, she said.

The meningococcal vaccine protects against meningitis.

“People that are going off to college, that are going to be in close quarters, military recruits that are going to be in dorms,” should get the vaccine, as well as individuals without a spleen, Grant said.

A relatively new vaccine recommended for people 60 and older is a vaccine that prevents zoster, or shingles.

“Most people associate shingles with the pain, but there are risks — pneumonia, encephalitis, even death,” she said.

Caused by the same virus as shingles, chicken pox is another disease for which adults should know their immunization status, Grant said.

“If they’ve never had chickenpox, which is the majority of adults, or if they were vaccinated but only had one dose, two doses are necessary,” she said.

Varicella, or chicken pox, can cause serious complications, even death, during pregnancy.

“That’s an important one to know your immune status before pregnancy,” she said.

Also included on the list are vaccinations for tetanus-diptheria-pertussis and measles-mumps-rubella.

All the diseases are found in the Southwest Georgia district. Vaccinations for all, except for the shingles vaccine, are readily available at county health departments or doctor’s offices, Grant said.

“New vaccines have been developed for older adults,” Grant said. “There is no reason for our older citizens to suffer from a disease that could have been prevented.”

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