Episode 5: A Shot of Health Today we focus on four adult immunizations: tetanus, pneumonia, shingles, and influenza. Tetanus - a tetanus (Td) booster is needed every 10 years or less. Every adult should get Tdap once to protect against pertussis (whooping cough). Tetanus can be acquired from a skin puncture by rusty metal, and is also present throughout the environment, especially in soil. Pneumonia - pneumonia is a lower respiratory tract infection / infection of the lungs. It can be caused by Pneumococcus bacteria, which has a thick outer shell that makes it more difficult for our immune system to fight. Generally pneumonia vaccines are started at age 65. They are given earlier for patients with a decreased immune system, compromised respiratory system (such as in asthma or COPD), and some other conditions. PCV 13 is the vaccine generally given first at age 65, and PPSV23 is given 1 year later. If given before age 65, they are given 8 weeks apart. Shingles - shingles is caused by the chicken pox virus. After clearing chicken pox, the virus is dormant near the spine in nerve roots. Later in life, especially in situations of immune compromise, the virus can reactivate and cause shingles. The rash will affect one dermatome of the skin, which is the area of the skin supplied by nerves from a single nerve root. The older vaccine for shingles, known as Zostavax, was a live vaccine. Because it was live, certain populations couldn’t receive it. It also had lower efficacy, especially in older adults. The newer vaccine, Shingrix, is not live and has better efficacy. Influenza - influenza is a viral infection that largely affects the airways and is worrisome when it causes viral pneumonia. Symptoms include fever, cough, body aches, runny nose, and headaches; this can progress to shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. We recommend the influenza vaccine yearly for everyone. Influenza can be life threatening even to healthy individuals. Yearly flu vaccines reduce mortality and severity of influenza infections. Health Pearl: Tasty Lentil Tacos https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/222610/tasty-lentil-tacos/ Follow us on Facebook and Twitter: www.facebook.com/everythingdoc www.twitter.com/everythingdoc1