SENIOR HEALTH CONNECTION NEWSLETTER July 2012 Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital Center Immunizations For Seniors (https;//intermoutttamhealthcare. org, http://www. webmd. com/vaccines) We know that having our children immunized protects them from many childhood diseases. You may not know that we do not out grow the need for certain vaccines. You can go to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at www2.cdc.gov/nip/ adultimmSched. and print a list of which shots you may need. Let's talk about two important vaccines that not only protect you but also those you love. You might want to discuss with your doctor the benefits of the Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) and the Shingles vaccine. Whooping Cough (Pertussis) The first is a disease that we thought was no longer a concern. Whooping cough (also called pertussis) has made a resurgence. We have found that once a child grows into adulthood the immunity decrease a bit, so now outbreaks are happening around the country. The Tdap shot protects against tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough. The Td shot does not protect against whooping cough. All adults need a Td booster every 10 years throughout life. All adults 19 to 64 years of age should have one shot of Tdap in place of a Td shot 77 All adults (including adults older than 64) who have or expect to have close contact with a baby younger than 1 year of age should get one Tdap shot if they have never had it before. This is to protect the baby from whooping cough. However, adults can get whooping cough too. According to William Schaffner, MD, president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, " Adults are at risk. The illness is characterized by coughing spells that can come so closely together that they cause a spasm and prevent you from taking a breath. It can interfere with sleep, work, and eating. Sometimes people cough so much that they faint or even break a rib". Shingles Vaccine If you are over 50, the shingles vaccine may help you avoid the shingles, and if you've had the shingles, the shingles vaccine may help avoid a return. The shingles vaccine helps prevent getting shingles in the person immunized but because shingles is a contagious viral infection, it also helps to prevent the spread of the virus just like childhood immunizations for chickenpox. You can not pass shingles to another person but the virus is very contagious and you can infect someone that has never had chickenpox, the newly infected person will develop chicken- pox not shingles. 77