The annual flu shot is not the only important vaccine for adults. To increase public awareness about three other adult vaccines, the Westchester County Department of Health this week launched a multi-media ad campaign funded by a grant from the New York State Department of Health.
- Tdap booster shot for adults who care for infants, to prevent them from getting pertussis (whooping cough) and passing the infection to babies too young to be fully immunized
- the shingles vaccine for adults age 60 and over, to reduce their chance of getting shingles and the chronic pain that can result
- the pneumonia shot for smokers, who are at greater risk for because of their tobacco habit.
The campaign rolled out this month with ads on Bee-Line buses and on platforms at 12 of the busiest train stations in Westchester. Health Department staff also began distributing educational flyers for the campaign this spring and summer at numerous community and health events.
"Whooping cough can be a serious, even deadly disease for infants,'' said Dr. Cheryl Archbald, acting commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Health. "We hope to avoid an epidemic like California has by ensuring that adults as well as infants and children are adequately vaccinated against pertussis.''
In June, California health officials declared a whooping cough epidemic and announced that more than 900 cases were confirmed this year. During August, Westchester County Department of Health notified medical providers of a mild increase in the number of pertussis cases, with a similar increase also noted in other states. As of the end of August, there were 19 confirmed cases of pertussis in Westchester. In 2009, there were 13 confirmed cases, and in 2008 there were 15 confirmed cases.
A mild increase in the number of pertussis cases has occurred every three to five years since the early 1980s. In Westchester, the last significant peak in pertussis cases occurred in 2004 with 81 cases, which preceded the availability of the Tdap booster shot.
While adults with pertussis can experience a recurrent cough, infants with the disease can cough rapidly, gasp for breath and may need to be hospitalized. Immunity against pertussis can decrease over time, which is why the Tdap booster, instead of the usual tetanus booster (Td), should be given to older children, adolescents and most adults. This vaccine is especially important for adults who care for infants too young to be fully immunized.
The health department also is promoting the shingles vaccine to seniors. One in three people age 60 and over get shingles, a painful, blistering skin rash caused by the chicken pox virus. A single shot can protect them and prevent the chronic and recurrent pain associated with shingles. Expanded coverage of immunizations and other preventive services are components of the new federal health care legislation, which should make it easier for senior to get this vaccine. The third adult vaccine included in the campaign is the pneumococcal vaccine, known as the pneumonia shot.
While many seniors know they should get a pneumonia shot, adult smokers of all ages may not be aware that this is an important vaccine for them, too, due to their increased risk for developing pneumonia. Half of all adults with severe pneumonia infections are smokers.
"We hope this will give all smokers in Westchester another good reason to quit. If you smoke, talk to your doctor about quitting and ask for the pneumonia shot," Archbald said. For additional advice and free resources, residents can also contact the New York State Quitline at 1-866-NY-QUITS.
The eight-week ad campaign, funded by a $100,000 grant from the New York State Department of Health Bureau of Immunization, includes the production and distribution of 30,000 bilingual flyers, 42 ads on the outside of buses, 100 interior bus cards and 50 posters on platforms at these Metro-North stations: Yonkers, White Plains, North White Plains, New Rochelle, Mount Vernon West, Mount Vernon East, Scarsdale, Chappaqua, Croton-Harmon, Larchmont, Mamaroneck and Port Chester.
For more information, go to www.westchestergov.com/health or call the health department at (914) 813-5000.