Herd Immunity: Creating a Shield of Protection from Disease.

Ever since the beginning of time mankind and every other animal creature on earth had to learn to defend against predators. Animals kill each other for food and territory and we all battle disease and pain.

Human beings don’t kill each other for food and territory any more, at least it doesn’t happen in our civilized, modern society; but we spend lots of money and effort trying to investigate diseases in order to learn how to prevent and treat them.

Over the last 100 years the life expectancy for humans has been increased by a couple of decades. During the 19th century, a person of 40 years of age was already considered old, since he/she could expect to have about 20 more years around the mortals, if lucky. Today, a 40 year-old man or woman is in his prime time. We don’t consider a person old until in his 80’s. I can tell you that my personal definition of “old” has changed as I added birthdays to my calendar.

One of the biggest success stories of the 20th century includes the discovery and world-wide use of serums that, when injected, stimulates the production of defenses against infectious agents in such a way that, when you are in contact with the infective organism, it reduces the chances of getting sick by it. Very cool, right?

That is the way vaccines work.

And some vaccines have a double advantage: they protect you against the disease, but they also protect the whole community you live in. Every one of us becomes a vehicle to spread disease when we get sick with an infectious agent. When we are immune to it, we create a shield of protection for those around us, even those who are not immunized. If we all become immunized, the infectious agent will have nowhere to go and it could be eliminated from the face of the earth. This is exactly what happened with Smallpox; when enough people became vaccinated, the virus didn’t have any more susceptible hosts and disappeared.

The World Health Organization had the goal of eradicating Polio from the earth by the beginning of the 21st Century. The goal is not going to be met and many countries still suffer from this devastating disease. I just read an article explaining how politicians in some countries in Africa are discouraging their citizens from obtaining the vaccine, brought to them free of charge, because they don’t trust the intentions of those trying to promote it. Sounds familiar?

During the yearly flu outbreak many people can’t get vaccinated. It may be because they are allergic to some of the components of the vaccine; it may be because they have some disease of their immune system that keeps them from responding to the vaccine; they may be too young or too old. Some groups are at increased risk of getting sicker with the influenza virus, such as the elderly or pregnant woman. When you immunize a significant number of people, those individuals are more likely to be protected. Immunized individuals are not going to pass the flu along to their 80-year-old neighbor who may have asthma; they are not going to transmit it to the pregnant woman waiting in line next to them at Target; they are less likely to infect the small child on chemotherapy sitting next to them in church. This is HERD immunity. This is the way vaccines protect even those who are not vaccinated, by creating a shield of immune people around those who are susceptible.

In order for herd immunity to be effective the majority of the population must be immunized, that is, the number of susceptible persons must be minimized and the number of immunized persons must be maximized.

Talk to your doctor about this issues. Get informed. Get the facts.

Like Dr. Laura would say: “Go and do the right thing”.

Marta Katalenas M.D.

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News Flash: H1N1 Vaccine Now Available

We have received a new shipment of the Influenza H1N1 Vaccine and are ready to administer it to all our patients who need it. All children over the age of 6 months of age should get the vaccine; those who are between 6 months and 9 years need two doses at least 1 month apart.

At this time we have only the injectable form of the vaccine. We are also administering the Seasonal Flu vaccine as well. We give vaccines during the week by appointment only. Please call (512) 733-5437 to schedule an appointment.

Pediatric Center of Round Rock.

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PCRR Not Affected by H1N1 Flu Vaccine Recall

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has issued information about certain lots of the new H1N1 vaccine that need to be recalled. The recall has nothing to be with the safety of the vaccine; on-going post delivery testing shows that certain lots don’t show the strength they should at stimulating antibody production by the body.

I want to inform our patients that the Pediatric Center of Round Rock DOES NOT have any of the H1N1 recall lots. The vaccine administered at our office remains safe and strong at inducing immunity.

This news does indicate the commitment of the CDC to the ongoing monitoring of the safety and efficacy of the vaccine by health authorities.

Click here to read the full article from the Centers for Disease Control.

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Flu Clinic – Dec 16

We are scheduling a Flu Clinic on Wednesday, December 16^th at our office.  Due to the high volume of requests for both the Seasonal and the H1N1 vaccine for our patients, we will be able to immunize a larger number of patients with both the Seasonal and H1N1 vaccines during this clinic.

Pediatric Center of Round Rock

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News Flash: H1N1 Second Dose

We are now administering the Seasonal Flu Vaccine to all our patients and parents.  We also have a limited amount of the H1N1 Mist, and we are giving it to our patients by appointment and offering it when they come to the office for a physical exam or for a sick visit if indicated. The Health Department informs us that we can now start giving the second dose of the H1N1 vaccine for those patients who already had their first dose at least a month ago.

There is some confusion and questions about the administration of those two vaccines that I am going to clarify by giving you some case scenarios.

Q - My child received the first H1N1 injectable vaccine over a month ago. Can he now get the second H1N1 dose in the Mist form?

A - Yes. It is safe to get one dose of the injectable H1N1 and the second dose in the Mist form if your child is over 2 years of age and doesn’t have asthma. The mist is safe, very effective and easy to administer. The only limitation of use relates to those who have asthma and children less than 2 years of age.

Q - I am pregnant and I know I can’t get the H1N1 Mist; can my 3-year-old child get the mist?

A - Pregnant woman should get the injectable form of the H1N1 instead of the mist, but it is safe for you to be around your son after he gets the mist form of the vaccine, even if you are pregnant.

Q - My daughter had the Seasonal Flu Mist vaccine at school last week. We now have an appointment in the office to get the H1N1 Mist. Is it safe?

A - We should wait a month before giving her the H1N1 Mist. She can get the H1N1 injectable at any time, but when administering the Mist form of Seasonal and H1N1 vaccine, they should be at least one month apart.

Q - My child was diagnosed with Influenza A, H1N1 back in September. She had mild symptoms that resolved within a few days. Should she receive the H1N1 vaccine?

A - Yes. The rapid test we have in the office to check for H1N1 is not reliable enough to assume she did have the infection. Since we can’t be certain, we don’t know if she is going to have antibodies to protect her when/if we have a second wave of H1N1 cases in the coming winter months. The safest thing to do is to immunize her.

Please call our office if you would like to schedule an appointment for the second H1N1 vaccine dose.

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H1N1 & Seasonal Flu Vaccine Now Available

Today we received our shipment of Seasonal Flu Vaccine and we are now ready to give it to our patients who have been graciously and patiently awaiting. We can also give it to parents and grandparents for those families who find it convenient to get their flu shot at our office.  You can now call and make appointments.

We have also received some H1N1 vaccine from the Health Department. We have the Mist form only at this time. The H1N1 mist can be given to children over 2 years of age. Those with a history of asthma should not get the mist form of the vaccine; they should wait until they can get the injectable.

Pediatric Center of Round Rock

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More H1N1 Vaccines Have Arrived

Today we received more doses of the H1N1 vaccine. We are told that we are going to get shipments every week for the next two months. You may now call the office and make an appointment to get the vaccine for your children.

We also have some explanation as to why we are not getting as many doses of the vaccine as was anticipated. The government had purchased a total of 250 million doses, but only 22 million doses were available by mid October. CDC spokeswoman Amanda Aldridge said “a combination of things that didn’t go as anticipated” have caused a delay in production. Manufactures encountered a lower-than-normal yield in the initial H1N1 production seed strain provided by the World Health Organization. In order to make the vaccine, the laboratory must grow a sample of the virus and the process showed to be slower than anticipated. At the same time manufactures have been trying to balance production of the H1N1 vaccine with that of seasonal flu vaccine, creating delays in both lines. Production has now been accelerated and all manufacturers expect an increase in shipment over the next few months.

As frustrating as it is for patients and doctors, we are all learning from this process as we try to distribute the vaccine to those at higher risk first.

We will continue to have an open communication with our patients, keeping you up to date as we get new information.

Here are some useful Web sites for up-to-the-minute news and information about H1N1:

-         The AMA’s 2009 H1N1Information Site: www.amah1n1info.org/

-         Prevent Influenza Now! sponsored by the National Vaccine Summit, a joint venture of the AMA and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention: www.preventinfluenza.org/

-         www.flu.org the official flu-related Web site of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

-         The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2009 H1N1 Flu site: www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/

Pediatric Center of Round Rock.

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H1N1 & Seasonal Flu Vaccine Update

We are following very closely the recommendations and updates given by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention as well as our State Health Department about the H1N1 disease and vaccine. We will continue to keep you informed through this our web site.

As of TODAY – November 4, we are out of both, the seasonal flu vaccine and the H1N1 vaccine.

The Health Department is allowing us to order a limited number of doses of the H1N1 every week, and we are confident we will have a steady supply, though limited, for the next two months. Our advice at this time is to call our office to check on the status of the shipment and make an appointment if available. You can also keep up with the status right here, by checking our web site.

We continue to strongly recommend the H1N1 vaccine for those at higher risk, which includes our pediatric population, since the vaccine is the only available, effective way to prevent the disease. We have learned over the last two months how easy the flu spreads through schools and other institutions. Right after school started is when we saw a rapid increase in cases.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, from the National Institute of Health, recently reiterated that we now have strong data to support the safety of the vaccine. Health authorities admit the process of distribution of the vaccine had many setbacks that are inevitable, when considering the massive size of the effort.

As far as the seasonal flu, we are still awaiting shipment of more vaccine, but the delay is not as troubling since we still have plenty of time until the seasonal flu arrives here in Texas. We do not know what the intensity of the seasonal flu epidemic is going to be this year. Looking at what happened in the Southern hemisphere during their winter months, the incidence of H1N1 was predominant, with fewer cases of other strains.

As I have said before, we are learning as we go. In the mean time, stay healthy, wash you hands and stay home if you feel sick.

Marta Katalenas M.D.

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News Flash: Flu Vaccine Arriving Now

Today, PCRR has received a limited amount of Seasonal Flu Vaccine and H1N1 Vaccine. Due to the low number of doses, we are going to be out again in just a few days, but it is a start. We are going to give both vaccines on a first-come-first-serve basis and we regret that we are unable to provide it for parents at this time.

The Seasonal Flu Vaccine will be arriving periodically throughout the next few weeks. Eventually we will have enough for everyone, but right now our priority is to immunize children. Since the flu season does not start until later in the year in this part of the country, there is still time to get everyone vaccinated.

We receive the H1N1 Vaccine from the Health Department. We are told the small amount we received is just one of several shipments and we are going to have enough vaccines for our entire pediatric population over the next weeks and months.

Stay tuned! Updates are coming.

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