Adults, Give It A Shot!

By: Jonathan LaPook, M.D.
Topics: Field Notes

(CBS)

Dr. Jonathan LaPook is the medical correspondent for the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.

How many adults do you know who've gotten whooping cough? The number might be low, but what most people don't realize is that the illness is on the rise. It's thought of as a kids' sickness, mostly because symptoms are often less severe in adults – and often go undiagnosed.

But it's very contagious, and adults can spread it to infants, in whom it can be really deadly. One study showed that in infants younger than 12 months who had contacted whooping cough, or pertussis, in 24 percent of the cases, the infant had had contact with a parent or grandparent who had a cough.

Here's where adult vaccinations come into play. An adult pertussis vaccine has been available for a couple of years, and is recommended for adults age 60 and older. Same goes for a shingles vaccine: Shingles affects 1 million people each year, but only 2 percent of adults are vaccinated.

Why the low numbers of vaccinated adults? In the case of shingles, it's a relatively new vaccine – available for just more than a year. It's the same situation as we've seen happen with the new HPV vaccine: Doctors may have a tendency to hold back for the first year or so to see if any side effects pop out before regularly prescribing it to patients. For some doctors there's a mentality of "you don't want to adopt it too soon, you don't want to adopt it too late."

Even the popular flu vaccine isn't as widely used as it could be. We know flu kills an estimated 36,000 people a year. And that's just an example of us not being able to get it out there fast enough. Sometimes flu vaccines are in short supply. This year, though, there was plenty of supply.

That's why the CDC is out there now trying to raise awareness. Check out the results of its new report here.

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by sandals7 January 24, 2008 8:28 PM EST: this ''doctor'' is very misinformed. the adult pertussis vaccine does not prevent the taker from passing on the whooping cough bacteria to infants. check the package insert. The vaccine only protects the vaccinated from the bacteria''s side effects - the vaccinated can still be carriers. Yes, that''s right folks. They are trying to get you to get a booster to save the infants when the vaccine has not been shown to reduce transmission. Better do your own research - obviously CBS isn''t up to it.; Reply to this comment


by gwinginit January 24, 2008 9:06 AM EST: Hillary Clinton, wants to be President of the United States. She failed The only thing of Value that she has ever attempted, Health Care She sold out to the large Drug Cartels, failed the people of the United States who she now asks to elect her to the Presidency, I hope we are smarter than that. Is there any chance that we can get another candidate, I really don''t like any of the alternatives. But Clinton certainly cannot be a serious consideration.; Reply to this comment


by kaylorie January 24, 2008 5:35 AM EST: It is just one of a long string of plagues arising for the Great Tribulation.

Can everybody feel everything coming to a head? God is giving everyone last warnings.
Last chance folks. Better read up on the end times. You''ve only got one generation from 1948 when Isreal became a nation and its already been 60 years. Is one generation 70 years, 100 years, 120 years. No one knows but you are going to start seeing it all fulfilled.

Start by reading "Final Act" by Chuck Smith, Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa.

Recent American disasters are all tied to America pressuring Israel to give up Land for Peace.

Vote for Mike Huckabee so he can clean America''s house. We have an important Royal guest on the way.

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by fflores43 January 24, 2008 1:58 AM EST: i know it''s hard to be objective but, considering the population of the planet and, for the sake of future dna, wouldn''t it be better to let nature take its course? Maybe the idea is: those with the weakest immune system die first.
.; Reply to this comment


by judymilrdo January 23, 2008 11:50 PM EST: Obviously Dr. LaPook doesn''t deal with Medicare health plans on a daily basis. Medicare DOES NOT PAY for the shingles vaccine which costs approx $189 - this is the clinic cost. Many patients who have other state or federally sponsored medicare plans also are not covered because whatever Medicare pays or does not pay for is carried over. If the health of older Americans is important then Medicare would pay for that vaccine as well as YEARLY physicals instead of every two to three years as it is now. I am a practicing physician in Oklahoma; Reply to this comment