Immunizations

Pneumonia Vaccine Now Available at Greenbrier Medical Arts Pharmacy. If you are over 65, the vaccine is covered by Medicare at no cost to you. No appointment necessary. Visit our Lewisburg or Fairlea locations during regular business hours for your pneumonia vaccine today!

CDC Health Alert: 2009 H1N1 Pandemic Update: Pneumococcal Vaccination Recommended to Help Prevent Secondary Infections

Nearly 175,000 adult patients are hospitalized with pneumonia each year. On November 16, 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the following recommendations for prevention of pneumococcal disease (pneumonia).

Recommendations:
During the 2009-2010 influenza season, pneumococcal vaccines can be useful in preventing secondary pneumonia infections and reducing illness and death among those infected with influenza or H1N1 viruses.

The CDC recommends a single dose of pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV) for all people 65 years of age and older and for persons 2 through 64 years of age with certain high-risk conditions including asthma, smoking cigarettes, chronic cardiovascular or pulmonary diabetes mellitus, alcoholism, chronic liver disease, cerebrospinal fluid leaks, cochlear implant, functional or anatomic asplenia, immunocompromising conditions, those receiving immunosuppressive chemotherapy; those who have received an organ or bone marrow transplant, and residents of nursing homes or long-term care facilities.

Among those with high-risk conditions for pneumococcal disease, most are also at high risk for severe complications from influenza. A single pneumococcal revaccination at least five years after initial vaccination is recommended for people 65 years and older who were first vaccinated before age 65 years.

All people who have existing indications for PPSV should continue to be vaccinated according to current ACIP recommendations during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic.

Use of PPSV among people without current indications for vaccination is not recommended at this time. All children younger than 5 years of age should continue to receive pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) according to existing recommendations.

Contradictions:
Those having severe allergic reaction (e.g. anaphylaxis) to a previous vaccine dose or to a vaccine component should not receive PPSV.

Potential Adverse Reactions:
Most adverse reactions after administration of PPSV are mild and self-limiting. The most common is mild pain, swelling or redness at the injection site. Fever and myalgias are rare and occur in less than 1% of patients.

For More Information:
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/provider/provider_pneumococcal.htm

H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu). Below are the basic facts to help you better understand this disease.

What is H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu)?
H1N1 Influenza (Swine Flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that can also infect humans. The current human H1N1 Flu outbreak continues to grow in the United States and internationally.

Signs and symptoms:
The symptoms of H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) in humans are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with H1N1 Flu.

How is the virus spread?
Spread of the H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) virus is thought to occur in the same way that seasonal flu spreads. Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing of people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose. H1N1 Influenza cannot be contracted from eating pork or pork products. People with H1N1 Influenza virus infection should be considered potentially contagious beginning 1 day before symptoms develop, as long as they are symptomatic and possible for up to 7 days following illness onset. Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods.

Steps for prevention:

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
If you become ill with influenza, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
If you become ill and experience any of the following warning signs, seek emergency medical care.

In children, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

Fast breathing or trouble breathing
Bluish skin color
Not drinking enough fluids
Not waking up or not interacting
Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
Fever with a rash

In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
Sudden dizziness
Confusion
Severe or persistent vomiting

Treatment:
The H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) viruses are resistant to the prescription drugs amantadine and rimantadine. The CDC recommends the use of the prescription drugs Tamiflu® (oseltamivir) or Relenza® (zanamivir) for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with H1N1 Influenza viruses. Both of these antiviral medications must be prescribed by a healthcare practitioner. If you feel you have symptoms, you should contact your healthcare practitioner. For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started within 2 days of the appearance of symptoms.

Because the H1N1 Flu viruses are antigenically different from human viruses, the human seasonal influenza vaccine will not provide protection against the H1N1 Flu viruses.

If you have questions about the treatments or medications associated with H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu), please talk to your VIP pharmacist, or visit www.cdc.gov.