Question about pneumonia shots

[J Miller]

I have never had a flu shot, and never had a diagnosed case of the flu. However everyone I've known that's had the flu shot, got the flu. So I've flat out refused to get one.

That said, I did not know they had pneumonia shots. March of this year I spent nearly a week in the hospital with pneumonia. darn near killed me. I'd like to not do that again.

My wife went to the pharmacy day before yesterday to get some meds and found some pamphlets on shingles and pneumonia shots. Ended up getting them both. Said some of the itching she's been suffering with has quit. She thinks this was shingles but her Drs, have not agreed. What can I say?

Anyway the pharmacy tech said the pneumonia shots might help the chronic sinus problems I have as well as keep the pneumonia away. I'm hesitant on this.

What do you guys think of the pneumonia shots? Do they work? Are they safe? Do they really prevent it or do they give it to you like the flu shots do?
Hopefully Doc AJ will see this and weigh in on it from the medical end.

Joe

[jnyork]

Pneumonia can be deadly, especially for older people, thousands die of it every year, not a thing to be trifled with at all. Get the shot. Get the shingles shot as well, I know a couple people that have survived having shingles and both told me it was their life's most painful experience.

The only year in the past 20 years or so I missed getting my flu shot, I got the (diagnosed) flu, thought I was going to die, for a couple days I was afraid I wouldn't. Get the shot religiously now.

[Bill in Oregon]

I need to get that shingles shot, being on the wrong side of 60. My late father had it twice, the second case erupting as he was dying of H1N1 influenza.
Also get the flu shots.
Had the rarest of the pneumonias -- mycoplasm -- in my late 40s, and was so sick that I realized for the first time how easy it would be to just slip away. I've had the shot. Don't ever want to cope with that again.

[AJMD429]

The pneumonia vaccine only protects against Streptococcal pneumonia (which is why it might protect some against the upper Strep infections as well), but not Mycoplasma pneumonia. It's protection lasts at least five years and probably longer.

The influenza vaccine protects against a couple strains of influenza, and in any given year there are several going around; the developers select the strains that are predicted to be most common or severe.

People CANNOT get influenza from the vaccine. What they can and do get is OTHER similar 'flu-like illnesses' (including other strains of influenza itself), which happens every winter, and of course happens quite often "right after getting the flu shot", because it is 'flu season', which is when we all tend to get lots of flu-like illnesses.

Having said that, I'm not a big flu-shot fan for healthy people. One 'bad batch' or sabotaged batch (ten years ago many of the flu shots were made overseas, I think) and a hundred million would be affected.

Our protocol on 'flu shots' is:

• Start giving them first two weeks of October to the old/frail people - those people are most likely to die if they get influenza. I strongly encourage the old/frail crowd to get the flu shot.
  
  The last two weeks of October give it to the old/healthy and young/frail people - they are less likely to die if they get influenza, but should get an option to get the shot before the young/healthy (neurotic?) people get them and there are no more left. I also encourage these people to get the vaccine.
  
  Give the young/healthy crowd the shot the first two weeks of November, so the ones who want it are protected before Germ Exchange I (Thanksgiving - Christmas is Germ Exchange II). These people are likelier to be killed driving to get the flu shot than they are by influenza, so they should wait until the current-year's batch has been given to enough old/frail people that we can be sure there are at least no immediate concerns with its safety.

The biggest PROBLEM with our protocol is that some years we run out of shots because the public is set into a panic by the news media (and they are probably prompted by the marketing departments of the vaccine makers), and other years I have personally had to destroy $3,000 or so worth of unused vaccines (that is money out of MY pocket) because we have to commit to buying large amounts early in the year to get them. All this is worse due to the 'Wal-Marts' that give vaccines, often at a deep discount (a Dr's office has to at least break-even on the shot, or make $5, to cover the paperwork/pay of the medical assistant - but retail stores can do it at a loss because they know you will buy a bunch of stuff while you're there). If a medical practice has 4,000 patients, and knows that on average 1,000 will get the flu shot, he can buy that many each year, but if it is a panic year, maybe 1,500 will get them, and if the box stores get them in early and give them in September with a lot of hype (in which case much of the protection may wear off before 'flu season' hits locally), maybe only 500 will get them.

Anyhow, as far as the pneumonia vaccine, I recommend it for anyone over 60-65 or so, and any smokers or asthmatics over 40 or so. "Consult your personal physician, who may have more specific recommendations which take your specific situation into account..."

[harry]

Here's my take on this, if you don't want to get sick buy yourself a pen and carry it in your pocket. When you check out at Joe Blows store and use their pen you just came in contact with the 300 or 1000 people before you. And for those of you that have this disdane for credit cards, during cold and flu season try using a CC because that dude ahead of you in the check out line may have been very sick with god knows what and you just got handed paper money that he paid his bill with.

[jeepnik]

Here's my take.

Vaccines - Good. We put a stop to small pox with one.

All of this hand sanitizing germaphobic BS - Bad. It's getting to a point where folks aren't building up much of an immune system.

You constantly hear parents tell their kids "Don't touch that". And God forbid a child actually plays in a muddy puddle.

I'm pretty sure most of the germaphobia can be laid at the doorstep of the companies that make wipes and sanitizers. Sad thing is people simply buy into it without ever thinking about it.

Besides, this old planet hasn't had a really, really good plague in a long time. As a result of removing this form of natural selection, the idiots and weak are breeding, and we are over populating this rock.

[66GTO]

Here's my take on this, if you don't want to get sick buy yourself a pen and carry it in your pocket. When you check out at Joe Blows store and use their pen you just came in contact with the 300 or 1000 people before you. And for those of you that have this disdane for credit cards, during cold and flu season try using a CC because that dude ahead of you in the check out line may have been very sick with god knows what and you just got handed paper money that he paid his bill with.

Do this after you've grabbed the door handle to get in and out. The one that EVERYBODY else has touched, not just the credit card users.

[RIHMFIRE]

I have never had a flu shot, and never had a diagnosed case of the flu. However everyone I've known that's had the flu shot, got the flu. So I've flat out refused to get one.

good.......I refuse to get one also....

I do shots of o j in the morning!

[piller]

Stay away from people who are coughing.