A column written by Parish Nurse, Mary Horn, RN

Corona virus immunization has been on everyone's mind the last few months. However there are several other vaccines that are recommended for adults. In case you have fallen behind on any of these,  I thought a review  might be helpful.

Tdap or Tetanus,  Diptheria, Pertussis Vaccine or a version of this has been around since the 1940's. We often think of this as baby shots or what you get if you get a dirty or rusty wound.  In recent years, the pertussis or whooping cough part has received more attention  because some winters we have seen an occasional case of whooping cough,  which causes uncontrollable coughing that makes it hard to breathe.  Perhaps this is because adults have let their boosters wane. The most serious disease is usually in young children,  Adults should have a booster every 10 years to maintain optimum protection.

If you have ever known anyone who has had shingles you know how painful it can be. Those of us old enough to have had the actual chickenpox disease, continue to have the varicella zoster virus in our bodies. It lies dormant until something happens to activate it.  Commonly this is in older adults, thought to be because our immune system is not as robust as in younger people. However my adopted daughter developed shingles as a young teen and I didn't recognize it because I though it only affected older adults. I knew she had chickenpox scars on her face.  She cried every time I tried to put a cream on the rash on the side of her body to soothe it. This pain called postherpetic neuralgia occurs in the area where the shingles rash is and can last for months or years and can be quite severe.

Shingerix or recombinant zoster is the name for the vaccine now being used. It is recommended for adults over age 50. In prior years there was a live virus vaccine used which is no longer being used. However those of us who had this live virus vaccine need a dose of Shingerix also.

Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine (PPSV23) protects against 23 types of bacteria that can cause pneumonia. Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs and can be caused by many different bacteria. It can lead to complications such as ear infections, sinus infections, and meningitis. Anyone can get pneumonia, but adults over 65 are at higher risk in addition to young children and smokers. Another vaccine called Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine or (PCV13) protects against 13 bacteria and may be recommended as well for adults.

A vaccine that protects against Hepatitis A is given routinely to children but is optional for adults. Hepatitis A is a serious liver disease and is usually spread by contact with fecal material from an infected person. While it is not very common in the United States, international travelers might well want to get the vaccine. An infected restaurant worker can be a source for the virus. My favorite story is from an individual who contracted the disease from scuba diving in a bay outside a village in another part of the world that was running their sewage into the bay.

There are a few other vaccines that might be considered on an individual basis. There are 2 meningococcal vaccines routinely given to teens that might be indicated for certain adults and the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine also given to teens but provided to some young adults who did not get the vaccine at the recommended age.

And last of all, don't forget your influenza vaccine. It is now available for the 21/22 winter.  Last year influenza was less common perhaps because of the social distancing and masking being done for the corona virus. What this year will bring is uncertain.  While many people get the fever and achiness, every year some people even children die from influenza, often from the pneumonia which can complicate the illness.

In my lifetime over 20 vaccines have been developed. This has helped all of us live healthier lives without the fear of many life threatening illnesses.