We are pleased to announce that the Flumist Vaccine has arrived for this year. Flumist is the nasal spray form of the vaccine and it has arrived before the injectable form of the vaccine arrived. We expect that the injectable form of the vaccine will be available soon as well.
Unlike the injectable form of the influenza vaccine, the Flumist vaccine contains actual virus that is weakened. Therefore, it is not meant for those who are immuno-compromised or suffering from serious illnesses. It is also not meant for those who have severe asthma as the weakened virus can worsen the asthma in a few cases.
It is currently only approved for those between the age groups of 5 and 50 years old. This is because those under five have been found to have a slightly increased incidence of wheezing after getting the vaccine. It is not approved for those who are greater than fifty years old as there is insufficient data for this population.
Besides these warnings, Flumist has been found to effective in preventing illnesses and is hoped to be more effective than the injected form as it is given in the nose which is the very location where influenza initiates its infection. Also, since the vaccine uses weakened virus, it is hoped that the immunity will be more effective.
We would also like to take this opportunity to remind the community about some of the other forms of vaccination. The ?pneumovax? or pneumonia vaccine is a vaccine developed specifically to combat Streptococcus Pneumoniae which is the most common bacteria that causes pneumonia.
Since the elderly, diabetics and immune-compromised are particularly predisposed to getting pneumonia, it is very important that they get this vaccine every five years.
The flu vaccine is given annually but the pneumonia vaccine is now recommended to be given every five years. This recommendation used to be every ten years so most of the elderly think they do not need the vaccination.
Another vaccination that is often overlooked is the Td or Tetanus-Diptheria vaccination. This is recommended to be given every ten years. Not only does it protect against Tetanus but also provides much needed immunity against Diptheria. There is much concern in the medical community about increasing incidence of Diptheria due to the fact that the elderly not getting this vaccination as recommended.
If you have any questions or need to get this vaccine, please contact our clinic.
Nitin Bawa, MD, PA
45 Sugar Sand Lane, Suite A
Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459
(850)534-4170
Unlike the injectable form of the influenza vaccine, the Flumist vaccine contains actual virus that is weakened. Therefore, it is not meant for those who are immuno-compromised or suffering from serious illnesses. It is also not meant for those who have severe asthma as the weakened virus can worsen the asthma in a few cases.
It is currently only approved for those between the age groups of 5 and 50 years old. This is because those under five have been found to have a slightly increased incidence of wheezing after getting the vaccine. It is not approved for those who are greater than fifty years old as there is insufficient data for this population.
Besides these warnings, Flumist has been found to effective in preventing illnesses and is hoped to be more effective than the injected form as it is given in the nose which is the very location where influenza initiates its infection. Also, since the vaccine uses weakened virus, it is hoped that the immunity will be more effective.
We would also like to take this opportunity to remind the community about some of the other forms of vaccination. The ?pneumovax? or pneumonia vaccine is a vaccine developed specifically to combat Streptococcus Pneumoniae which is the most common bacteria that causes pneumonia.
Since the elderly, diabetics and immune-compromised are particularly predisposed to getting pneumonia, it is very important that they get this vaccine every five years.
The flu vaccine is given annually but the pneumonia vaccine is now recommended to be given every five years. This recommendation used to be every ten years so most of the elderly think they do not need the vaccination.
Another vaccination that is often overlooked is the Td or Tetanus-Diptheria vaccination. This is recommended to be given every ten years. Not only does it protect against Tetanus but also provides much needed immunity against Diptheria. There is much concern in the medical community about increasing incidence of Diptheria due to the fact that the elderly not getting this vaccination as recommended.
If you have any questions or need to get this vaccine, please contact our clinic.
Nitin Bawa, MD, PA
45 Sugar Sand Lane, Suite A
Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459
(850)534-4170
All fisherpersons should have a tetanus shot every so often so the rusty hooks don't get you! I'll take my chances with the flu as usual, but thanks for the tetanus reminder, Doc! I assume you don't make house calls to central mississippi!
