Dr. Howard Feldfogel discusses the importance of vaccines.
Transcription:
Prakash Chandran (Host): Vaccines. There has been so much talk and misinformation about this important topic and today, we’ll be covering why they are necessary and debunking some of those myths that you might have heard.
Let’s talk to Dr. Feldfogel, Director of the Department of Medicine at Highland Medical P.C. This is Highland Medical P.C. podcast series and I’m Prakash Chandran. So, let’s start with the basics. I want to learn a little bit about how vaccines work and what diseases they help to prevent spread.
Howard Feldfogel, MD (Guest): The purpose of vaccines are to build immunity in an individual to help prevent that individual from developing the disease that the vaccine is geared towards. There are multiple types of vaccines from live vaccines to recombinant DNA vaccines, all varying based on the need for building immunity. There are multiple types. There are flu vaccines, there’s tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. There’s measles, mumps, rubella. There’s varicella which is chickenpox. There are vaccines against zoster which is also known as shingles. There are vaccines to help prevent a certain type of pneumonia called pneumococcal pneumonia. human papilloma virus, hepatitis A and B, meningococcal infection, Hemophilus influenza, just to name a few.
Host: Wow, so it seems like there are quite a number of diseases that vaccines can help prevent or cure. Talk to us a little bit about how long vaccines have been around.
Dr. Feldfogel: Vaccines have been around for decades. Some of the original ones date back to the polio vaccine which helped eradicate polio off the face of the earth.
Host: I’ve been hearing about how vaccines definitely improve over time and yet still, I also know that there is so much fear around getting them especially kind of during that flu shot season; there are sometimes I see people on TV saying like don’t vaccinate your children and don’t vaccinate yourselves. Maybe talk a little bit to that and around just how many myths there are out there about this.
Dr. Feldfogel: Well, there are many myths. Some of which may have some basis, but most do not. The vaccines themselves are safe. There are certain instances where an individual may have a contraindication to taking that vaccine. They may have an allergy to one of the components or they may have an immune system that has a compromised state that would stop them from getting that vaccine. But as a whole, vaccines are safe and have a much higher benefit ratio than not.
Host: Right, and I think what most people feel like sometimes they’ll feel a little bit sick when they get a vaccine and then they will go out and say see, you know what, this vaccine made me sick. Can you explain why we feel that way sometimes when we get these vaccines?
Dr. Feldfogel: Well, the vaccine itself may be building an immune response which may cause some minor side effects, low grade fevers, feeling achy at times. It’s not a problem from the vaccine. The vaccine is actually doing what it is supposed to be doing. Again, in a rare instance, an individual may have a reaction to the vaccine, a local reaction that causes the area to hurt, turn red where the vaccine was given. Or a systemic reaction where they do develop fevers, chills, or possibly even a rash from the vaccine. But those are rare.
Host: Yeah and it’s so much better to experience those small symptoms rather than getting the disease that you are trying to prevent itself. So, it’s something that is important to remember. And also, I’ve read about this thing called herd immunity, meaning that if you yourself are not vaccinated, that the people around you I think can help protect you if they are. Is that the case?
Dr. Feldfogel: The concept of herded immunity does exist. If there were ten individuals and nine of them received a vaccine against a certain illness and were immune to developing that illness and the tenth individual did not receive the vaccine; the odds are that that individual is protected even though they were not immunized. We really do not use the concept of herded immunity to try to prevent people from not getting the disease. The recommendation would be for everyone to be vaccinated.
Host: I’m really glad that you addressed that and it’s always good to be safe and just because there is that concept of herded immunity doesn’t mean you can get away with not vaccinating. So, I want to kind of skip into when we should think about getting vaccinated. So, for example, for myself, I’m in my mid-thirties; what kind of vaccines should I already have and what are the ones that I should be getting on a yearly or quarterly basis.
Dr. Feldfogel: Well we do start immunizing in childhood. There are certain illnesses that pediatricians will vaccinate children against and on a set schedule. As an adult, there are certain immunizations that are recommended at certain ages and at certain intervals. We could start with influenza. Influenza should be administered once a year starting as children and continuing through adulthood. This year’s flu shot does not necessarily impart protection for next year. So, once a year influenza vaccine is recommended. Tetanus which consists of tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis is recommended to be boosted every ten years or sooner if the need should warrant. Measles, mumps, and rubella is given as a child, however, if there’s an instance where the immunity has waned; and the patient shows susceptibility; there might be a booster given as an adult. Same with chickenpox vaccine. It’s given in childhood and if a person does not show immunity; they might be given that vaccine as an adult.
The vaccine which is fairly new for herpes zoster which is shingles is recommended at 50-years-of-age or over. And that helps prevent shingles. It’s not 100% foolproof, but it will help prevent the development. There are two shingles vaccines out there. One is a live virus vaccine and the other is a recombinant DNA vaccine and both of them are recommended at 50-years-of-age or over. There’s a pneumococcal vaccine to help prevent pneumococcal pneumonia. There are two of those. There’s a Pneumovax 23 which is recommended starting at the age of 65 or over or younger if there are certain medical conditions. The second pneumococcal vaccine is called Prevnar 13 and that’s also recommended at 65-years-of-age or over. Both of those vaccines are recommended with Prevnar 13 being administered first.
There’s a hepatitis A vaccine which is administered to children. Adults would take it if they are going to be in a high risk area to develop hepatitis A. Hepatitis B vaccine is given to children and also would be administered to an adult who may be at high risk to developing hepatitis B, healthcare workers, anyone that might be exposed to blood products for instance. There’s the meningococcal vaccine to help prevent meningococcal meningitis and that is also administered in childhood along with Haemophilus influenza.
Host: So, it seems like there are quite a number of vaccines that you could potentially get. I think the one that everyone knows about is that flu shot that you have to get every year. Where can people go to find more information about all the vaccines that they really should be considering?
Dr. Feldfogel: There is actually a website the advisory committee on immunization practices would give a recommendation for what vaccine in administered when and then they can certainly contact their physician to ask the question and they would be able to guide them as to what is needed and when.
Host: Okay, great. So, it’s good to know that that website exists, and I think another thing that you said as well is if you’re going to be travelling potentially out of the country; it’s always good to look at some of the vaccines that you should get when travelling to those countries just to keep yourself safe. One of the things that I wanted to ask in wrapping up is, is there anyone that should avoid getting vaccines?
Dr. Feldfogel: Well yes, there are certain instances again based on medical conditions where vaccines should be avoided. An immunocompromised patient may not be able to receive a live attenuated virus vaccine. So, before any vaccines are administered; they should consult with their physician and make sure it’s safe.
Host: Wonderful. Well, Dr. Feldfogel, thank you so much for educating us on vaccines today. Is there anything else that you wanted to leave our audience with before we sign off?
Dr. Feldfogel: Well, you’re very welcome and vaccines help prevent morbidity and in some instances mortality. So, it’s recommended that everybody speak to their physician and be current on their immunizations.
Host: Absolutely. You know vaccines have been around for decades and as you said, they have helped eradicate diseases and for those people that say well you know, I didn’t get a vaccine and I didn’t contract anything. Well, it’s probably because everyone else got vaccinated and has kept his disease down. So, it’s better to be safe than sorry. So, for everyone listening thanks for checking out this episode of the Highland Medical P.C. podcast series. Head over to www.highlandmedicalpc.com to get connected with Dr. Feldfogel or another provider. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and be sure to check out the entire podcast library for the topics of interest to you. Thanks.
Prakash Chandran (Host): Vaccines. There has been so much talk and misinformation about this important topic and today, we’ll be covering why they are necessary and debunking some of those myths that you might have heard.
Let’s talk to Dr. Feldfogel, Director of the Department of Medicine at Highland Medical P.C. This is Highland Medical P.C. podcast series and I’m Prakash Chandran. So, let’s start with the basics. I want to learn a little bit about how vaccines work and what diseases they help to prevent spread.
Howard Feldfogel, MD (Guest): The purpose of vaccines are to build immunity in an individual to help prevent that individual from developing the disease that the vaccine is geared towards. There are multiple types of vaccines from live vaccines to recombinant DNA vaccines, all varying based on the need for building immunity. There are multiple types. There are flu vaccines, there’s tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. There’s measles, mumps, rubella. There’s varicella which is chickenpox. There are vaccines against zoster which is also known as shingles. There are vaccines to help prevent a certain type of pneumonia called pneumococcal pneumonia. human papilloma virus, hepatitis A and B, meningococcal infection, Hemophilus influenza, just to name a few.
Host: Wow, so it seems like there are quite a number of diseases that vaccines can help prevent or cure. Talk to us a little bit about how long vaccines have been around.
Dr. Feldfogel: Vaccines have been around for decades. Some of the original ones date back to the polio vaccine which helped eradicate polio off the face of the earth.
Host: I’ve been hearing about how vaccines definitely improve over time and yet still, I also know that there is so much fear around getting them especially kind of during that flu shot season; there are sometimes I see people on TV saying like don’t vaccinate your children and don’t vaccinate yourselves. Maybe talk a little bit to that and around just how many myths there are out there about this.
Dr. Feldfogel: Well, there are many myths. Some of which may have some basis, but most do not. The vaccines themselves are safe. There are certain instances where an individual may have a contraindication to taking that vaccine. They may have an allergy to one of the components or they may have an immune system that has a compromised state that would stop them from getting that vaccine. But as a whole, vaccines are safe and have a much higher benefit ratio than not.
Host: Right, and I think what most people feel like sometimes they’ll feel a little bit sick when they get a vaccine and then they will go out and say see, you know what, this vaccine made me sick. Can you explain why we feel that way sometimes when we get these vaccines?
Dr. Feldfogel: Well, the vaccine itself may be building an immune response which may cause some minor side effects, low grade fevers, feeling achy at times. It’s not a problem from the vaccine. The vaccine is actually doing what it is supposed to be doing. Again, in a rare instance, an individual may have a reaction to the vaccine, a local reaction that causes the area to hurt, turn red where the vaccine was given. Or a systemic reaction where they do develop fevers, chills, or possibly even a rash from the vaccine. But those are rare.
Host: Yeah and it’s so much better to experience those small symptoms rather than getting the disease that you are trying to prevent itself. So, it’s something that is important to remember. And also, I’ve read about this thing called herd immunity, meaning that if you yourself are not vaccinated, that the people around you I think can help protect you if they are. Is that the case?
Dr. Feldfogel: The concept of herded immunity does exist. If there were ten individuals and nine of them received a vaccine against a certain illness and were immune to developing that illness and the tenth individual did not receive the vaccine; the odds are that that individual is protected even though they were not immunized. We really do not use the concept of herded immunity to try to prevent people from not getting the disease. The recommendation would be for everyone to be vaccinated.
Host: I’m really glad that you addressed that and it’s always good to be safe and just because there is that concept of herded immunity doesn’t mean you can get away with not vaccinating. So, I want to kind of skip into when we should think about getting vaccinated. So, for example, for myself, I’m in my mid-thirties; what kind of vaccines should I already have and what are the ones that I should be getting on a yearly or quarterly basis.
Dr. Feldfogel: Well we do start immunizing in childhood. There are certain illnesses that pediatricians will vaccinate children against and on a set schedule. As an adult, there are certain immunizations that are recommended at certain ages and at certain intervals. We could start with influenza. Influenza should be administered once a year starting as children and continuing through adulthood. This year’s flu shot does not necessarily impart protection for next year. So, once a year influenza vaccine is recommended. Tetanus which consists of tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis is recommended to be boosted every ten years or sooner if the need should warrant. Measles, mumps, and rubella is given as a child, however, if there’s an instance where the immunity has waned; and the patient shows susceptibility; there might be a booster given as an adult. Same with chickenpox vaccine. It’s given in childhood and if a person does not show immunity; they might be given that vaccine as an adult.
The vaccine which is fairly new for herpes zoster which is shingles is recommended at 50-years-of-age or over. And that helps prevent shingles. It’s not 100% foolproof, but it will help prevent the development. There are two shingles vaccines out there. One is a live virus vaccine and the other is a recombinant DNA vaccine and both of them are recommended at 50-years-of-age or over. There’s a pneumococcal vaccine to help prevent pneumococcal pneumonia. There are two of those. There’s a Pneumovax 23 which is recommended starting at the age of 65 or over or younger if there are certain medical conditions. The second pneumococcal vaccine is called Prevnar 13 and that’s also recommended at 65-years-of-age or over. Both of those vaccines are recommended with Prevnar 13 being administered first.
There’s a hepatitis A vaccine which is administered to children. Adults would take it if they are going to be in a high risk area to develop hepatitis A. Hepatitis B vaccine is given to children and also would be administered to an adult who may be at high risk to developing hepatitis B, healthcare workers, anyone that might be exposed to blood products for instance. There’s the meningococcal vaccine to help prevent meningococcal meningitis and that is also administered in childhood along with Haemophilus influenza.
Host: So, it seems like there are quite a number of vaccines that you could potentially get. I think the one that everyone knows about is that flu shot that you have to get every year. Where can people go to find more information about all the vaccines that they really should be considering?
Dr. Feldfogel: There is actually a website the advisory committee on immunization practices would give a recommendation for what vaccine in administered when and then they can certainly contact their physician to ask the question and they would be able to guide them as to what is needed and when.
Host: Okay, great. So, it’s good to know that that website exists, and I think another thing that you said as well is if you’re going to be travelling potentially out of the country; it’s always good to look at some of the vaccines that you should get when travelling to those countries just to keep yourself safe. One of the things that I wanted to ask in wrapping up is, is there anyone that should avoid getting vaccines?
Dr. Feldfogel: Well yes, there are certain instances again based on medical conditions where vaccines should be avoided. An immunocompromised patient may not be able to receive a live attenuated virus vaccine. So, before any vaccines are administered; they should consult with their physician and make sure it’s safe.
Host: Wonderful. Well, Dr. Feldfogel, thank you so much for educating us on vaccines today. Is there anything else that you wanted to leave our audience with before we sign off?
Dr. Feldfogel: Well, you’re very welcome and vaccines help prevent morbidity and in some instances mortality. So, it’s recommended that everybody speak to their physician and be current on their immunizations.
Host: Absolutely. You know vaccines have been around for decades and as you said, they have helped eradicate diseases and for those people that say well you know, I didn’t get a vaccine and I didn’t contract anything. Well, it’s probably because everyone else got vaccinated and has kept his disease down. So, it’s better to be safe than sorry. So, for everyone listening thanks for checking out this episode of the Highland Medical P.C. podcast series. Head over to www.highlandmedicalpc.com to get connected with Dr. Feldfogel or another provider. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and be sure to check out the entire podcast library for the topics of interest to you. Thanks.
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