immunizations & vaccines

Remembering the Pandemic Flu

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photo: ehow.com

ehow.com

Get your vaccination

It was this time two years ago that we were bracing for the return of pandemic influenza to campus.  We had already dealt with cases in the spring.  Were we in for a “second wave”?  Everyone was asking:

  • “When are we getting the pandemic flu vaccine, and who should get it?”
  • “Should people get their ‘regular’ flu shot?”
  • “How disruptive would this be to classes, student activities, afternoons at the Shoe?”

We have since learned that we need to stay vigilant about influenza. Not just new strains, but even the seasonal flu, which causes:

  • more than 36,000 deaths every flu season, mostly in infants and the elderly
  • nearly a quarter of a million hospitalizations every year
  • millions of missed days at work or school

Influenza continues to plague us in an era when vaccinations have led to declines in many of the most deadly diseases in history.  Why?  Because influenza virus changes rapidly and often.  Many years we are challenged by new strains or ones we haven’t seen in a while so sometimes our flu season is worse than other years and this effects the strength of our seasonal vaccine.

So, what should you do about the flu???

  • Wash your hands
  • Get a flu vaccine once every fall
  • Avoid exposure to ill persons and avoid sharing your illness if you get sick
  • Maintain a good immune system by good diet and exercise
  • Wash your hands

Oh, did I say wash your hands twice?  Well, for good measure, once you are done surfing our blog on your laptop that two of your roommates borrowed when you were out, and is now sitting on your lap in a local coffee house, where your hands have come in contact with dozens of surfaces that can harbor virus particles, why don’t you go wash them a third time??!!!

Flu shots are available at Student Health now, and are just as effective early as they are late in protecting you this winter.  The price is reasonable, and the process is easy.  Watch our calendar for our big walk-in events, get a shot while you pick up medicines in our pharmacy, or call 614-292-4321 and schedule an appointment. 

Welcome back, and have a healthy year!

Roger Miller, MD
Student Health Services
The Ohio State University

A cool way of SEEING how safe the HPV vaccine is

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The Visual Miscellaneum

About a year and a half ago, we did a post linking to a very cool and informative article about the H1N1 vaccine that presented tons of information in an almost purely visual format.  The blog is called Information Is Beautiful, and it’s done by a London-based “independent visual & data journalist” named David McCandless whose passion lies in reporting information through images and with a minimum of text.  

Well he’s at it again, but this time he’s taking on the HPV vaccine.  The article is definitely worth a look – it should give you a whole new way of “looking” at the HPV vaccine.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the HPV vaccine, our preventive services department will be happy to answer them.

John A. Vaughn, MD
Student Health Services
The Ohio State University

Student Health and a Healthy Campus

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wikimedia commons

Check your running shoes!

Pertussis Campaign

Student Health Services gets involved in all sorts of disease outbreak announcements, vaccine information, and health awareness activities and serves as the public health agency for issues that impact students.  We work with experts from the OSU Medical Center, Columbus Public Health, the Franklin County Board of Health, the Ohio Department of Health and even the CDC! 

So, how healthy is our “public”?  The 20th century brought a nearly 30-year increase in life expectancy, and dramatic decreases in infectious diseases.  Now that we are 10 years into the 21st century, are we still making progress?  The CDC asked their public health experts to rank this past decade’s top achievements – here are the ones that most impact health on campus:   

Vaccine-Preventable Diseases – we are now up to 17 different diseases covered by our childhood and adult immunization programs, preventing 42,00 deaths and 20 million illnesses each year for children born from 2001 to present.

Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases – Tuberculosis cases have dropped 30%, and certain infections that can occur in hospitals have decreased 58%.  We are also seeing more rapid detection of diseases like HIV and West Nile virus.

Tobacco Control – The number of current smokers found in youth surveys decreased from 35% to 19% this decade, although this trend has slowed in the last few years.  State-wide comprehensive smoke-free laws that prohibit smoking in worksites, restaurants, and bars did not exist in the US in 2000, but that number increased to 25 states and the District of Columbia (DC) by 2010.

Motor Vehicle Safety – even though we drove our motor vehicles more in 2010 than in 2000, death and injury rates due to crashes, and the number of pedestrians and bicyclists killed all decreased.   This is largely due to safer cars and roads, along with seat belt and child car seat laws.

Cardiovascular Disease Prevention – These top killers each decreased by about a third in this decade, associated with better control of blood pressure and cholesterol, less smoking, and better treatments.

Public Health Preparedness and Response – 9/11 provided many lessons about preparedness, and now the public health system can respond more rapidly to new threats, like the H1N1 flu and the cholera outbreak in Haiti.

Due to these and other health interventions, the death rate in the United States declined from 881.9 per 100,000 population to 741.0 in the past ten years, a record low.  Want more detailed analysis?  Visit the CDC’s Ten Great Public Health Achievements — United States, 2001–2010.

Healthy Living!

Roger Miller, MD
Student Health Services
The Ohio State University

Do a shot before summer break

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Get your vaccination

Getting ready to leave campus for the summer?  Maybe you will be traveling, or visiting family, or starting that summer job at the retirement home or hospital.  Maybe you are doing all of the above?  If you are, then consider getting your vacinations updated before you leave campus.

One that is really worth talking about is the pneumonia vaccine, because the Centers for Disease Control just changed their recommendations for this vaccine and they could actually impact you.

The pneumonia vaccine used to only be recommended for people over 65, or for those who had certain chronic medical conditions.  But now, anyone 19 years of age or older who smokes or has asthma is being advised to get it.  People tend not to think of asthma as a chronic lung disease for some reason, but it is and if someone with asthma gets pneumonia, they’re at a much higher risk for having a bad outcome from it.  And we all know that smoking damages your lungs and weakens their ability to withstand infections.

If either of these conditions applies to you, you only need to get one shot and most of you will be good until you are 65 years old.  Depending on the rest of your health status, some people might need a booster shot 5 years after the first one.   If you have any questions about whether or not you need to get a pneumonia vaccine, or if you’d like to schedule an appointment to get one, contact our Preventive Medicine department and they’ll be glad to help you out.

John A. Vaughn, MD
Student Health Services
The Ohio State University

What the Hepatitis is going on around here??

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Where's my liver? (CDC)

CDC

May is Hepatitis Awareness Month – so, how much do you know? 

“Hepat-” (liver) and “-itis” (inflammation) is a general condition that can be caused by toxins, chemicals, or viruses. The most commonly recognized viral types of hepatitis are Hepatitis A, B, and C.  All three irritate the liver cells and cause abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, and discolored urine.  But, each one is a different virus and impacts your body in different ways. 

Hepatitis A travels through the body in the stomach and intestines, and can be spread between people through sewage-contaminated water or food, through direct contact with feces (poop), or through sharing of saliva. 

Hepatitis B and C travel through the blood, and can be spread through blood exposures.  Blood-borne infections can also be spread through sex activities (contact with semen and vaginal fluid), but Hepatitis B is much more likely to spread through sex than Hepatitis C.

Vaccines are currently available for Hepatitis A and B.  Research is underway for a Hepatitis C vaccine, but progress has been slow. 

Interested in more details?  Check out this CDC summary, and go the CDC Hepatitis home page.  Learn about hepatitis, how to avoid it, treat it, and prevent it.  If you have more questions, come visit us at Student Health Services.  We have professionals who can get you answers, provide testing, and offer you the available vaccines. 

Live Healthy!

Roger Miller, MD

OSU Student Health Services

 

STD Awareness – How many shots have you had??

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Men's Services

My belly hurts!

Get your vaccination

Often when we talk about STDs, the focus is on symptoms and tests, but vaccines also play a big role in preventing two types of STD’s:

  • Hepatitis B (HBV) – a virus that can cause a chronic liver infection

  • Human Papillomavirus (HPV) – a virus that can cause genital warts

Both of these viruses can be spread through sexual activity, as well as other routes – HBV through blood and body fluids; HPV through skin to skin contact.  Both can be spread by people with little or no symptoms.  And both can cause cancer.  Hepatitis B can cause liver cancer, while HPV can cause cancer of the cervix and anus, and there is increasing evidence to support a role in causing cancer in the mouth, throat and penis. 

Hepatitis B vaccine has been around for years, and has been included as a required vaccine for children in many areas so most of you have probably been vaccinated. 

HPV vaccine has been licensed since 2006 for females from 9-26 years old.  The vaccine was introduced only for women because the original research was focused on using the vaccine to prevent cervical cancer as well as warts.  More recently, the vaccine has been made available to males 9-26 years old, and research is continuing to see if the vaccine is useful for older adults. 

Vaccines prevent infections, they cannot reverse an infection you already have.  This is why it’s a good reason for adolescents to get vaccinated either before they become sexually active, or early in their sexual life.  The two current HPV vaccines cover 2-4 particular serotypes of HPV, so it’s not too late to consider it if you’ve already become sexually active; if you are already infected with one serotype, the vaccine will still be effective at preventing infection with others. 

Take a look at the STD Low-Down page at GYT for more information. 

Best of Health! 

Roger Miller, MD
Student Health Services
The Ohio State University

Meningitis – Shot or Not?

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Get your vaccination

With the tragic death of an OSU student just before break, it is timely to discuss meningitis vaccine.  We are talking about the worst form of meningitis in adults, which is Meningococcal meningitis.  Vaccines have been sought for many years to protect people from this disease. 

This is particularly true after the great success with vaccination against another form of meningitis in infants with the HIB vaccine.  Haemophilus Influnzae B used to be the most common cause of meningitis in children, and now happens in only 2 out of every 100,000 children.

Meningococcal meningitis is present in several forms (or serotypes) that are important to understanding the vaccine.  The current US vaccines protect against Type A, C, Y and W-135.  A fifth type, serotype B, is not included in the vaccine.  Vaccines that protect against B are still in development.  What does this mean for you?  We agree with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that all adolescents should be vaccinated before high school, and consider a booster dose of vaccine if they are going to college.  Additional doses are recommended for people with certain health conditions.

However, we must remember that even 100% vaccination is not going to prevent every case of meningitis.  In addition to getting the meningitis vaccine, we should all be practicing good hygiene by limiting contact with people when we have a fever, covering coughs and sneezes, avoid sharing things that can be contaminated with saliva (cups, cans, utensils, smokes of all kinds), and also seeking care for severe headache and fever.   These steps may not prevent all tragic outcomes, as this disease can be very aggressive, but should help. 

Another thought – consider getting your flu shot every fall.  A bout of respiratory infection, including influenza, may increase your risk of meningococcal infection.  For more meningitis information, you can visit our web site  and the CDC Meningitis web site.

Best of Health,

Roger Miller, MD
Student Health Services
The Ohio State University

Do I have to get vaccinations to attend Ohio State?

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Allergies, Injections, Immunizations

Q: Am I required to get vaccinations to attend The Ohio State University?

A: Yes.  The Ohio State University does have a vaccination requirement, effective Fall Semester 2015.  The requirement is made of up three (3) components:

  1. New to The Ohio State University – this component applies to those students who are:
    1. A new Ohio State University student – never before attended classes at Ohio State
    2. Attending the Columbus Campus
    3. Taking at least one (1) face-to-face class
    4. Attending half-time or greater
  2. New to Ohio State University Housing – this component applies to those students who are:
    1. An Ohio State University student
    2. New to University Housing on any Ohio State campus – never before lived in Ohio State University Housing
  3. New International Student – this component applies to those students who are:
    1. A new Ohio State University student – never before attended classes at Ohio State
    2. An international student

Based upon your student status, you may be responsible for 1 or more of the above components.

To find out more about the Vaccination Requirement at The Ohio State University, check out the following webpage: http://shs.osu.edu.

 

Updated by Tina Comston, M.Ed.

Take it from Ben Franklin, Get Vaccinated!

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Just came across an excellent and timely essay about immunization in the New York Times written by Dr. Howard Markel, a professor of the history of medicine at the University of Michigan.

Even though Dr. Markel is from that school up north, he knows what he’s talking about.  There are a lot of ill-informed people out there today saying that vaccines do terrible things, cause terrible disease and are a conspiracy by the medical-industrial complex to invade our bodily fluids.  Now, apparently, they also violate the Founding Fathers’ principles upon which our great nation is built. 

But using little things like facts, research and evidence, Dr. Markel proves that once again these people know not of what they speak.  Vaccines save lives.  They prevent horrible disability.  They keep pandemic illness from speading like wild fire through communities.  When people don’t get vaccinated, they not only put themselves at risk, they put you and your loved ones at risk too.  

But don’t take it from me, or even Dr. Markel.  Take it from Ben Franklin, who also lived in a time when there was a lot of vitriol and controversy surrounding vaccination:

In 1736 I lost one of my sons, a fine boy of four years old, by the small-pox, taken in the common way.  I long regretted bitterly, and still regret that I had not given it to him by inoculation.  This I mention for the sake of parents who omit that operation, on the supposition that they should never forgive themselves if a child died under it, my example showing that the regret may be the same either way and that, therefore, the safer should be chosen.

The above photo is of a young girl in Bangladesh who was infected with smallpox in 1973.  6 years later, the World Health Organization officially delared its eradication.  Thanks to immunizations, we’ll never have to see suffering this horrible again. 

John A. Vaughn, MD
Student Health Services
The Ohio State University

Making Polio Disappear for Pennies a Day

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While Student Health works to educate and inform our campus about getting your vaccines updated, efforts are ongoing around the globe to deal with vaccine-preventable diseases, and the toll they take around the world, a toll that is unfortunately measured in the lives of children.  Take a look at this video from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to see what they and countless others are doing to make polio go the way of the dinosaurs.

Roger Miller, MD
Student Health Services
The Ohio State University