This is 10 times more contagious than the flu… Adult vaccines you must get this winter [건강한 가족]

Adult vaccines to increase healthy lifespan

In Korea, where the population is aging, adult vaccination is a necessity, not an option. In winter, people become vulnerable to infectious diseases due to the spread of respiratory viruses. It is too early to feel reassured that you have received the influenza (flu) vaccine every year. The detection rate of various respiratory viruses that cause coughing, high fever, runny nose, and phlegm is over 80%. You must follow personal hygiene rules such as washing your hands and wearing a mask, and do not miss vaccination. We learned about adult vaccines that increase healthy lifespan.

The number one vaccine that is more important as you age is the pneumococcal vaccine. Pneumococci, which is the causative agent of invasive infections such as pneumonia, sepsis, and meningitis, is more fatal to older people. 74.3% of patients suffering from pneumonia due to pneumococcal infection are aged 65 or older. Professor Kim Seon-bin of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Korea University Anam Hospital said, “The fatality rate due to pneumococcal infection increases significantly from the age of 50 or older.”

There are two types of pneumococcal vaccines that can be administered to adults in Korea: polysaccharide vaccines with a wide range of prevention (Prodiax 23, Pneumo 23, etc.) and protein conjugate vaccines that induce an immune memory response in T cells (Prevenar 13, VaxnuVance, etc.). all. Even if you take just one of the two, there is an effect in preventing pneumococcal disease. However, the two types of pneumococcal vaccines prevent invasive pneumococcal disease through different mechanisms. Professor Cho Seon-young of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Samsung Seoul Hospital said, “If you get both types of vaccines, the combined effect can increase the prevention effect of invasive pneumococcal disease.” Regardless of the actual vaccination order, when two types of vaccines were administered, the vaccine effectiveness was 80.3%. There is a difference from the preventive effect of 18.5% when only the polysaccharide vaccine was administered and 66.4% when only the 13-valent protein conjugate vaccine was administered. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency also recommends that seniors over 65 years of age receive one dose of the polysaccharide vaccine, but emphasizes that those with underlying diseases should consider receiving the protein conjugate vaccine depending on the severity and condition of the disease.

You should not miss out on getting vaccinated against whooping cough, which is spreading rapidly these days. Whooping cough, which causes coughing paroxysm for 100 days, spreads through saliva that splashes when coughing.

Even if adults, children, and adolescents contract whooping cough, the symptoms are mild. The problem is with infants under 12 months of age. Professor Lee Jin-seo of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital said, “Whooping cough is more likely to be accompanied by severe complications the younger the patient is.” It is a paroxysmal cough caused by pertussis bacteria that causes respiratory inflammation, causing complications such as cyanosis, bronchopneumonia, hypoxia, and brain damage.

The reason why infants and young children who live only at home contract whooping cough is infection between family members. Pertussis has a basic infectious disease index that is 10 times higher than that of influenza. Professor Lee Jae-gap of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital said, “86% of infants and young children diagnosed with pertussis are infected by family members who are in close contact, such as parents, grandparents, and siblings.” Whooping cough can spread among family members while caring for a child. If you are in close contact with an infant under 12 months of age, it is recommended that you receive the Tdap vaccine (Adacel, Boostrix, etc.), which is effective in preventing whooping cough, from the age of 10 or older to prevent family infection. Protective immunity from the whooping cough vaccine administered as a child does not last for more than 10 years, so re-vaccination with the Tdap vaccine is required. When a woman in her third trimester of pregnancy receives the Tdap vaccine, antibodies produced through the mother are passed on to the fetus, contributing to the formation of passive immunity. It serves to protect the two-month gap until the first basic vaccine is administered.

Shingles, which is notorious for its extreme pain, can also be prevented with a vaccine. Shingles is when the chickenpox virus that you suffered from as a child hides in your body and reactivates when your immune system is weakened. A band-shaped rash or blisters occurs around the face, torso, or shoulders, and is accompanied by severe pain. According to domestic research, 98-100% of adults over the age of 20 have the varicella-zoster virus. In theory, anyone who has had chickenpox can develop shingles.

Most shingles pain disappears as the blisters heal. However, in some cases, the pain remains as an aftereffect (postherpetic neuralgia) and can last for several months or more. In particular, the elderly are at high risk of developing pain aftereffects. A sure way to reduce shingles pain is to receive a shingles vaccine (Zostavax, Skyzoster, Shingrix, etc.). Depending on the product, 1 to 2 doses can be administered to prevent shingles (antibody production rate) of 51 to 97% in people over 50 years old. Professor Kim Jin-nam of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Hanyang University Hospital said, “The preventive effect varies depending on the type of shingles vaccine, age of vaccination, and immune status, but we recommend getting the vaccine to reduce the burden of diseases such as post-herpetic neuralgia.”

Seonmi Kwon (kwon.sunmi@joongang.co.kr)