And so it begins...
Hi Friends! Hope you're enjoying a great weekend! I am!
Just a few minutes ago, I went to get my MMR shot - vaccination for measles, mumps and rubella. This will be the first of a few vaccines that I will be getting before flying off to the States. Next on my list are Hepatitis B and Tdap - tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. There are many other vaccines that I should get, but these are the priorities.
If you are not aware that adults should get vaccination, neither did I! Until I came across CDC's page on Adult Immunization Schedule (anyone over 18 years old). No doubt, most of us are immunized as a baby, but I'm sure many do not know that we should get vaccinated again after the age of 18. I think these are called booster shots. Here's the LINK to download the Adult Schedule. And here's the schedule extracted from the file (NOTE: You many click on the picture to view the full size):
As you can see from the schedule, after the age of 18, you need to go for Tdap (once) and subsequently Td every 10 years. If you are female, you'll need 3 doses of the HPV vaccine. But it seems that the age to get this is between 19-26, so does that mean that if you missed this, you don't have to get it at a later age?
You'll also need 2 doses of varicella (chickenpox) if you had never gotten chickenpox in your life. For those 60 years old and above, you'll need 1 dose of zoster. 1 or 2 doses of MMR between 19-49, and another optional dose at 50 or above for those with prevalent risk factors. Since influenza or flu hits the world population every year with new strains, you'll need influenza vaccination annually, especially if you are 50 or above. And the pneumococcal (polysaccharide) vaccine at 65 or above.
Depending on the risk factors present, you may need the pneumococcal jab once or twice before 65. The same applies for Hepatitis A (2 doses), Hepatitis B (3 doses), and meningococcal (1 or more doses).
So how did I prioritize which vaccines I should get first?
It is by looking at the prevalence of the respective diseases in the States:
I got chickenpox when I was 24, so I'm immune to varicella. And I was given BCG as a baby, so I don't need TB vaccination. Therefore, my top priority will be Tdap, Hepatitis B and MMR. The rest to follow.
Make sure you get yours, and don't tell me that I didn't tell you. Prevention is definitely better than cure, in terms of the suffering (or in some cases, death) that you can avoid, as well as the costs of treatment if you contracted the disease(s). And this is definitely biblical, since God gave man the insight and wisdom on creating vaccines to prevent these terrible diseases.
Take care and have a beautiful week ahead!
Hi Friends! Hope you're enjoying a great weekend! I am!
Just a few minutes ago, I went to get my MMR shot - vaccination for measles, mumps and rubella. This will be the first of a few vaccines that I will be getting before flying off to the States. Next on my list are Hepatitis B and Tdap - tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. There are many other vaccines that I should get, but these are the priorities.
If you are not aware that adults should get vaccination, neither did I! Until I came across CDC's page on Adult Immunization Schedule (anyone over 18 years old). No doubt, most of us are immunized as a baby, but I'm sure many do not know that we should get vaccinated again after the age of 18. I think these are called booster shots. Here's the LINK to download the Adult Schedule. And here's the schedule extracted from the file (NOTE: You many click on the picture to view the full size):
As you can see from the schedule, after the age of 18, you need to go for Tdap (once) and subsequently Td every 10 years. If you are female, you'll need 3 doses of the HPV vaccine. But it seems that the age to get this is between 19-26, so does that mean that if you missed this, you don't have to get it at a later age?
You'll also need 2 doses of varicella (chickenpox) if you had never gotten chickenpox in your life. For those 60 years old and above, you'll need 1 dose of zoster. 1 or 2 doses of MMR between 19-49, and another optional dose at 50 or above for those with prevalent risk factors. Since influenza or flu hits the world population every year with new strains, you'll need influenza vaccination annually, especially if you are 50 or above. And the pneumococcal (polysaccharide) vaccine at 65 or above.
Depending on the risk factors present, you may need the pneumococcal jab once or twice before 65. The same applies for Hepatitis A (2 doses), Hepatitis B (3 doses), and meningococcal (1 or more doses).
So how did I prioritize which vaccines I should get first?
It is by looking at the prevalence of the respective diseases in the States:
I got chickenpox when I was 24, so I'm immune to varicella. And I was given BCG as a baby, so I don't need TB vaccination. Therefore, my top priority will be Tdap, Hepatitis B and MMR. The rest to follow.
Make sure you get yours, and don't tell me that I didn't tell you. Prevention is definitely better than cure, in terms of the suffering (or in some cases, death) that you can avoid, as well as the costs of treatment if you contracted the disease(s). And this is definitely biblical, since God gave man the insight and wisdom on creating vaccines to prevent these terrible diseases.
Take care and have a beautiful week ahead!
2 Comments:
Hi John,
All those vaccines are necessary.
I had chicken pox when I was 6. (Yikes~! that was 42 years ago!)
I hope all the vaccines go well and you don't have any adverse reactions to any of them.
Time is drawing near for a long journey for you. May it be the biggest adventure of your life!
God Speed to you, my friend!
Donna
Thanks Donna :)
They say that if you get chickenpox when you are younger, it's not as bad as when you get it as an adult.
And I have to agree, because getting it at 24 is like really really terrible. Thought I almost died. Being covered all over by those itchy reddish bumps is no fun at all. Thank God I survived through all that! I didn't know people can actually die from chickenpox until I saw that stats!!! Phew...
So it's really great that you got it young :D
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