Web Guide to Healthcare: Vaccinations

The following includes interesting and controversial information about vaccines. A good deal of the material addresses current theory and some findings of contemporary research. While these findings are thought-provoking, it is important that you continue to follow The US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) guidelines issued through the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Should these recommendations change in the coming year, reading the material here may help you make educated decisions regarding the need for vaccinations. 

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Every once in a while, clinicians get different directives regarding vaccines and when to give them to people (vaccine schedules). Remember that many of these are relatively new, and we are just beginning to learn more and more about them, their effectiveness, and how long immunity lasts. We like to hope that, after a vaccine, immunity lasts for a lifetime, but it is becoming evident that some vaccines confer immunity for longer than anticipated and some for a much shorter period than initially thought. When it appears that immunity is wearing off too quickly after many years of use by the public, vaccinologists begin to recommend more booster shots. Henceforth, the recommendations by the ACIP change its guidelines occasionally.

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The following outlines the pros and cons of standard adult vaccinations. Just a little background on vaccines. They are created by several different methods. They are given to protect against a contagious virus or bacteria and have saved many, many lives. The following are some more common types of vaccines:

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​1. Live (weakened or "attenuated") Vaccines: 

         Chickenpox (viral)

         MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) (viral)

         Nasal Influenza (viral)

         Rotavirus (viral) - Very contagious gastrointestinal illness in smaller kids - diarrhea

         Smallpox (viral)

         Yellow Fever (viral) is rare in the United States

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Live vaccines tend to have the longest-lasting effects because they generate the greatest antibody response to a pathogen. However, building long-term immunity typically takes only one or two vaccines.

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​2. Some are also made of actual antibodies produced in a lab, called monoclonal antibody vaccines, which actually contain the antibodies that fight off the disease:

        Covid monoclonal antibodies (viral)

        RSV (viral)

3. Dead (inactivated) Vaccines: 

          Hep A (viral)

          Flu (shot) (viral)

          Polio (shot) (viral)

          Rabies (viral)

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These are made of inactivated viruses. The body builds an army of antibodies to fight off future pathogens that try to multiply and attack the body. They are often weaker than other vaccines, so a person may need a booster.

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2. Small "Pieces" of the virus or bacteria, several types: "recombinant," "subunit," and "polysaccharide" that, when injected into a person's body, stimulate the immune system to make antibodies, which prepare to fight off the particular pathogen that might invade in the future.

            Hib (Haemophilus influenza type b) (bacteria). It protects against meningitis, epiglottitis, and pneumonia (especially important for kids).

            Hep B (viral)

            HPV (viral)

            Pertussis - Whooping Cough (bacteria)

            Pneumococcal (bacterial)

            Meningococcal (bacterial)

            Shingles (viral)

            Covid 19 - Novavax (viral)

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mRNA - Synthetic instructions trigger the cells to make parts of the COVID-19 virus, which stimulates the body to make antibodies to fight off the virus COVID-19 (viral); (triggers an immune response)

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Toxoid Vaccines are made up of the toxins that a pathogen produces, which have been inactivated. This triggers an immune response

           Tetanus (bacteria)

           Diphtheria (bacteria) ​

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There is no vaccination against bird flu; however, one is apparently in development (there is a medication to treat it).

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Patients have asked me numerous times how I manage to stay healthy in the face of so many potentially contagious illnesses (this was before the use of masks). I assume they are primarily talking about the flu and pneumonia. Although back in the day, before the advent of HIV and growing cases of hepatitis, I did use to dabble in blood with bare hands in the emergency department. 

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Because I am a longtime healthcare provider and come from the vaccine era where vaccines nearly eradicated some diseases in the US and other countries, I believe in the importance and efficacy of many vaccines. I attribute much of my own immunity to the vaccinations I have had AND  to continued exposure to illness in my clinic (and subsequently, a robust immune system). I cannot say that ALL my vaccinations have agreed with me: Most have. We are all physically very different, so we will ALL respond differently to vaccines. Personally, I have a "risk versus benefit" attitude (I weigh the likelihood of harm against the possibility of benefit), so I am looking for those things most likely to keep me healthy. I do get most vaccinations.

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NOTE: This is important to note for anyone getting vaccinations. It typically takes up to 2 weeks for most vaccines to take full effect, so if you are getting this because you have an event next weekend and don't want to get sick, you better think twice.