03/09/2024
Wellness Matters - A regular health column from the Kurow Medical/Mackenzie Health Centre Team - September 2024
This month we welcome spring with open arms! Our August column focused on immunisation protection for children. This time we overview funded vaccinations for adults. Immunisation helps to stop you, your whānau and your community from getting sick from serious diseases. As you get older, you become more vulnerable to some infectious diseases. Vaccinations protect you from illness by helping build protective antibodies in your bloodstream. By building immunity before exposure to an illness, you have a better chance of not getting sick.
Boostrix: This vaccine helps protects from three diseases.
Tetanus: A rare but serious disease caused by bacteria found in soil and horse/cow manure. You can get the disease if dirt carrying tetanus gets into a wound. Symptoms include painful muscle spasms, difficulty breathing, chewing and swallowing.
Diphtheria: A serious disease that can easily spread through coughing and sneezing and causes a skin infection and affect the throat causing breathing difficulties. Diphtheria was a common cause of death in children until the 1940s but is now very rare in NZ because of immunisation.
Whooping cough (pertussis): Causes breathing difficulties and severe coughing fits and is sometimes called the ‘100-day cough’. It can lead to pneumonia, seizures, and other brain issues. More than half of babies under 1 year who catch it need to go to hospital, and up to 1 in 50 of these babies die. It can easily spread by coughing and sneezing. Whooping cough in not under control NZ.
As an adult, you can get Boostrix for free;
• from when you turn 45 (if you have not had 4 previous doses of a tetanus vaccine)
• from when you turn 65 (if it has been more than 10 years since previous tetanus vaccine)
• from 13 weeks of every pregnancy (recommended from 16 weeks)
• if you get a dirty cut and not had vaccine for 5 or more years
Certain people are recommended to have a Boostrix vaccine at least every 10 years — but there may be a cost. This includes people who:
• work with young children and vulnerable people
• live with a newborn baby
• are at higher risk of severe illness from whooping cough, for example those with chronic respiratory disease.
Influenza: we recommend all adults get a flu vaccine each year (from April 1st). It is free for;
• people aged 65+
• people who have a long-term medical condition(ages 6 months and older)
• pregnant people
• children aged 4 and under who have been hospitalised for respiratory illness or have a history of significant respiratory illness
• people with mental health conditions, including schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, or schizoaffective disorder
• people who are currently accessing secondary or tertiary mental health and addiction services.
COVID-19: These vaccinations are free — even for visitors. You can still have the vaccine if you have had COVID-19. This reduces your risk of serious illness. It may also reduce the risk of long COVID. You should wait 6 months after testing positive before getting any COVID-19 vaccines. If you are at higher risk of severe illness, you may be able to get another immunisation sooner.
Shingles: Shingles is a painful rash caused by the herpes zoster virus. The vaccine is recommended for anyone aged 50 and over. It’s free for the 12 months after your 65th birthday. If you’re not 65, you will need to pay.
Measles: 2 doses of the MMR vaccine are needed for protection against measles. Many adults born between 1989 and 2004 in NZ were not vaccinated against measles — or may only have had 1 dose. MMR vaccination is free for these groups. If you know that you have had 2 MMR vaccinations, you do not need additional vaccines as an adult — you are fully protected.
Meningococcal disease: A serious infection of the brain. As an adult, you may be able to get free vaccines if you are 25 or under, and living in a boarding school, hostels, military barracks, or prison and if you are at higher risk of some diseases due to certain medical conditions.
Human papillomaviruses (HPV): a virus that can cause cervical cancer If you were not immunised against HPV as a child, you can get free vaccination until you turn 27. You will need 3 doses, given over 6 months.
New to NZ: If you have moved from overseas check you have had the vaccinations recommended here.
Overseas travel: You should check you are up to date with vaccinations — especially measles, hepatitis B, and tetanus. Depending on destination, you may also need to be immunised against other diseases such as yellow fever, rabies, cholera, hep A and typhoid. wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/list
Additional free vaccines: Available for adults who are at higher risk of some diseases due to specific living situations, or certain medical conditions, such as a weakened immune system.
For more information see immune.org.nz , call 0800 IMMUNE or ask your doctor or practice nurse. Content sourced from the New Zealand Immunisation Advisory Centre.
Happy spring! Enjoy the brighter days as we head towards summer.
Measles cases are increasing globally, including in the United States. The majority of measles cases imported into the United States occur in unvaccinated U.S. residents who become infected during international travel. A list of countries with confirmed measles outbreaks can be found on the Global M...
