Reprinted from the ACJ - July, 2001
We make sure the dog has his shots. The kids get their shots before they go to school. Are you sure you have had all your shots? Not the round of Jagermiester you bought at bowling last night, but vaccines and boosters designed to keep us healthy. In the US, and a good deal of the rest of the planet, child immunization programs have virtually eradicated diseases that killed thousands in the old days. Polio has been largely erased from our worries. Those colorless tattoos many of us carry on our upper forearms have stopped small pox in it`s tracks. Don`t look now but childhood diseases may be doubling back in those tracks. Skipping the kids and attacking us grown ups.
Adults are 100 times more likely, than children, to die from a vaccine preventable disease. Influenza, pneumonia, and hepatitis are the most prolific culprits. Killing 30,000 each year. Diphtheria and tetanus can also bite the hand that feeds them. Tetanus will kill 1 in 3 of those that contract it. Auto mechanics are especially at risk, due to the old repair shop rule: The dirtier, greasier, more disgusting the car part, the more likely you are to cut yourself on it. The tetanus virus enters through open cuts. If it has been more than 10 years since your last tetanus booster shot, it is time for another. As a bonus, the doctor will throw in a diphtheria booster as part of a package deal. A 2 for 1 `sore arm` secial. But the doctor won`t know it is time for your booster. Frankly, he doesn`t care; unless you bite him. So you have to rake your medical memory. Like leaving for a vacation. Did I turn off the stove, stop the mail, have chickenpox? What about mumps? We let children get these diseases because their young, strong, resilient immune systems build up antibodies to fight the virus and protect them for the rest of their lives. But having avoided these ailments as a kid, the consequences can be much more devastating than missing daytime TV and Seven-Up. If you haven`t already had these `childhood` diseases, it is too late to crawl into bed with the sick neighbor kid, or give your brother a couple of sloppy kisses. You need to be immunized.
Even after surviving childhood, we are not out of the woods yet. Lyme disease lurks in those woods. If you live in the northeast or the upper midwest, and spend time in the great outdoors, you may want to consider a Lyme disease vaccination. If you work in the medical ield (as an EMT or volunteer firefighter maybe), or have multiple sex partners, or and especially, both; you may want a hepatitis B immunization. Hepatitis B is transmitted through bodily fluids and is 100 times more communicable than HIV. Older folks, heavy smokers, and those with respiratory problems would benefit from a pneumonia vaccination. Just about every adult can benefit from an annual flu shot. Vaccines are very cost effective. Almost all are less than $100, and most cost around $20. Try to get a hospital stay for less than $100. It seems like that is about the cover charge just to walk in the door. And there is a two drink minimum.
A good deal of information is available from your doctor and on the Internet. The Center for Disease Control(CDC) can scare you about the consequences and provide immunization information at www.cdc.gov. The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases(NFID) has a good time waiting to happen at www.nfid.org. I should mention here that not everyone promotes the use of immunizations. Some knowledgeable folks believe that the vaccines themselves may cause health problems. Punch in `vaccination` and/or `immunization` into your search engine and chase conspiracy theories to your hearts content. To vaccinate or not is an important decision. You should collect all the information you can, while considering the source, before deciding. Then give it your best shot.
The above article was written by David M. Brown, Chief Engineer of Johnson Manufacturing Company, Inc. and is published by JOHNSON with the expressed approval of the National Automotive Radiator Service Association and the Automotive Cooling Journal. Other reproduction or distribution of this information is forbidden without the written consent of JOHNSON and NARSA/ACJ. All rights reserved.
JOHNSON MANUFACTURING COMPANY
114 Lost Grove Road / PO Box 96 / Princeton, Iowa 52768-0096
Phone 563-289-123 or Fax 563-289-3825