Health & Fitness
EEH: Thanks to vaccines, many diseases are nearly forgotten
Serious diseases like polio, measles, mumps, chickenpox and whooping cough are all preventable with vaccines.
Something happened during the summer of 2022 that hasn’t happened in the United States since 1979: Someone was infected by poliovirus.
The 20-year-old from New York state experienced low-grade fever, neck stiffness, back and abdominal pain, constipation, weakness and paralysis.
It’s not clear how the person contracted the virus, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the infected person was not vaccinated. A survey of wastewater in the New York area found polio virus that was derived from the oral polio vaccine (OPV), which contains live, weakened polio virus and is not used in the United States.
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Those who are fully vaccinated against polio, which requires four shots typically given in infancy through age 6, are 99 percent immune after the third dose. Vaccinated people are protected against polio virus disease and paralysis if they are exposed to the live virus.
The polio vaccine has been available since 1955. The inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) was introduced first, followed by the OPV in 1963. While the oral vaccine is no longer used in the United States, it is used in other parts of the world.
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The infection in 2022 underscores the importance of vaccines, not just to prevent individual illness but to prevent the viruses from spreading to vulnerable populations.
Serious diseases like polio, measles, mumps, chickenpox and whooping cough are all preventable with vaccines, most of which are given in early childhood.
The CDC lists 14 diseases routine vaccinations cover:
- Polio
- Tetanus
- Flu
- Hepatitis B
- Hepatitis A
- Rubella
- Hib
- Measles
- Whooping Cough (Pertussis)
- Pneumococcal Disease
- Rotavirus
- Mumps
- Chickenpox
- Diphtheria
Some viruses, such as flu, require targeted vaccinations each season. Sometimes new viruses emerge—like COVID-19—that can be targeted with vaccines.
The vaccines for flu and COVID-19 are very effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death from the viruses. Some vaccinated people will still become infected; however, their symptoms typically will be lessened.
Flu season is here and experts say they’re watching for a potential COVID-19 resurgence this winter. To protect themselves and others from severe illness, people should make sure they’re up to date on vaccines.
Learn more at EEHealth.org.
