As we experience the hustle and bustle of “Back To School,” many of us have found ourselves scampering to assure our children’s vaccines are up to date. But did you know that as grownups, we should make sure our own vaccines are up to date as well?
Young adults in their late teens to early 20’s may need vaccines or boosters for meningitis, varicella, MMR, and HPV. These are usually recommended upon entrance to college.
Vaccines are also important for persons beyond the young adult years. These include the upcoming flu vaccine, as well as the pneumonia, shingles, and Tdap vaccines.
Let’s take a moment to review one of these, the Tdap vaccine. It protects against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (commonly called whooping cough).
*Did you know that pertussis is still a problem in the US? There were more than 48,000 cases reported in 2012, the most cases since 1955.
*Pertussis is a serious disease that can cause violent coughing fits lasting up to 10 weeks or more. It can be quite severe, even deadly, for babies under 6 months old, who are too young to be well protected by vaccines.
*Pertussis starts out like a cold, and it spreads easily. Babies often catch pertussis from parents and other caregivers, who may not even know they are sick.
We can help protect the babies in our community against whooping cough!
The Tdap vaccine is a shot combining protection against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis. The CDC recommends the Tdap vaccine not only for babies and young children, but also for all pre-teens, teens, and adults, including pregnant women. Through vaccination against pertussis, we can surround our babies with protection. Remember, most of us are around babies even if they are not our own, be it as grandparents, babysitters, volunteers in the church nursery, or as an employee in a business in our community.
Protect Our Community Against Whooping Cough — Get Vaccinated!!
Dr. James Proffitt and Nurse Practitioner Rhonda Kennedy are located at 201 Corporate Place in Alcoa. We are accepting new patients with Medicare and commercial insurance. If you are interested in updating your vaccines, need a physical, or have other primary healthcare needs, call us for an appointment at 865-984-6823. Flu vaccines will be available in late September.