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Vaccinations |
By
taking the simple step to get vaccinated you are helping to protect yourself,
your family and others around you.
VNA-TIP HealthCare provides
vaccinations at numerous clinics throughout the bi-state region. Call
866-667-3358 to find a location near you.
Vaccinations
available:
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FLU |
Influenza ("flu") is a contagious disease. It is caused by the
influenza virus, which can be spread by coughing, sneezing, or nasal
secretions.
Symptoms of Flu:
Anyone can get influenza,
but rates of infection are highest among children. For most people, symptoms
last only a few days.
They include:
» sore throat
»
fever
» chills
» fatigue
»
cough
» headache
» muscle aches
Other illnesses can have the same
symptoms and are often mistaken for influenza.
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Who Should Get Vaccinated:
While everyone should get a
flu vaccine each flu season, the CDC especially recommends that the following
groups get vaccinated either because they are at high risk of having serious
flu-related complications or because they live with or care for people at high
risk for developing flu-related complications:
| 1. |
Children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2 years
old |
| 2. |
People 50 years of age and older |
| 3. |
People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
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| 4. |
People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
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| 5. |
People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications
from flu, including:
| a. |
Health care workers |
| b. |
Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the
flu |
| c. |
Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6
months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated) |
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When to Get Vaccinated:
Yearly flu vaccination should
begin in September or as soon as vaccine is available and continue through
early May. This is because the timing and duration of influenza seasons vary.
While influenza outbreaks can happen as early as October, influenza activity
usually peaks in January or later.
By taking the simple step to
get vaccinated you are helping to protect yourself, your family and others
around you. |
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Hepatitis A |
Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the Hepatitis A virus. Good
personal hygiene and proper sanitation can help prevent Hepatitis A. Vaccines,
given in a series, are also available for long-term prevention.
The
virus is most commonly transmitted through interpersonal contact or indirectly
through ingestion of contaminated food or water. Those most at risk include
children and staff of day-care centers, staff and residents of long-term care
facilities, injection drug users and international travelers, and restaurant
employees.
Food Service workers in the state of Missouri have
been required to be vaccinated against Hepatitis A since 2000. |
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Hepatitis B |
There is no cure for HBV infection and often there are no symptoms.
There is a simple blood test to show whether the virus is present in your
bloodstream, and there is a vaccine (given in a series) that will prevent this
potentially deadly disease.
The Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) can cause
cirrhosis of the liver, liver cancer, liver failure and death. It is spread
when blood or bodily fluids from an infected person enter the body of a person
who is not infected. The virus cannot be spread through casual contact.
Healthcare and public safety workers, household contact with infected
persons, and hemodialysis patients are among those at highest risk.
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TB
(Tuberculosis) |
Many people think TB (tuberculosis) is a disease of the past.
However, some 2 billion people worldwide are infected with the TB bacterium.
Approximately 15 million of them live in the U.S., with 16,000 new cases
reported in this country annually.
TB is spread through the air when a
person with TB disease coughs or sneezes. People nearby may breathe in these
bacteria and become infected.
Latent TB can exist in the body for years
without symptoms and is only detected through the standard TB skin test that
looks for TB infection.
Tetanus-Diphtheria
Td is a
tetanus-diphtheria vaccine given to adolescents and adults as a booster shot
every 10 years, or after an exposure to tetanus under some circumstances.
Tdap is similar to Td but also containing protection against
pertussis. A single dose of Tdap is recommended for adolescents 11 or 12 years
of age, or in place of one Td booster in older adolescents and adults age 19
through 64.
Tetanus (lockjaw) is a serious disease that causes
painful tightening of the muscles, usually all over the body. It can lead to
"locking" of the jaw so the victim cannot open his mouth or swallow. Tetanus
leads to death in about 1 in 10 cases. Several vaccines are used to prevent
tetanus among children, adolescents, and adults including DTaP, Tdap, DT, and
Td. |
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Shingles |
More than 90% of US adults have had chickenpox and thus are at
risk for zoster commonly known as shingles.
» Shingles most commonly occurs in people 50 years
of age and older.
» The
incidence and severity of shingles increase with age.
» 50% of people living to age 85 will
develop shingles.
» In the
U.S., there an estimated 1 million cases of shingles each year.
Shingles usually starts as a rash and/or blisters on one side of the
face or body and lasts 2 to 4 weeks. Before the rash even develops, there is
pain, sometimes severe pain, itching, fever, chills, and/or headache.
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Pneumococcal
Disease |
Currently there are more than 90 varieties of Pneumococcal Disease,
the most common being pneumonia and meningitis.
In recent years,
pneumococcal diseases have become more resistant to antibiotics, resulting in
longer hospital stays and expensive therapies. The best way to protect yourself
against it is through vaccination. Everyone two years of age or older with
chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes, lung, heart, kidney or liver
disorders and those with compromised immune systems should be vaccinated.
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