Vaccines

  • The poliovirus is characterized by muscle weakness and paralysis. Often caught by swimming. If the patient recovered they were often left in braces, wheelchairs, and use of the iron lung (chamber that helped with breathing)

  • 1952 more than 21,000 cases of paralytic polio exists with no cure

  • 1953 Dr Jonas Salk created an injectable vaccine from an animal poliovirus culture

  • Mass immunizations for polio begin in the US in 1955 for children

  • 1957 2,500 cases of polio; 1965 61 cases of polio; eradicated in the US in 1994

  • Vaccines work by introducing specific disease-causing dead or weakened live microorganisms or their toxins into the body. These antigens (foreign substances) naturally cause the body to fight back, creating antibodies that can then neutralize the disease and foreign toxin

  • Vaccination: The use of vaccines to stimulate your immune system to protect you against infection or disease

  • Immunization: The process of making you immune or resistant to an infectious disease, typically via vaccination

  • Vaccines have increased life expectancy

  • The role of the technician: prepare the paperwork (signed consent form) and billing; notify the primary care physician that vaccine was administered at the pharmacy; can now be certified to give vaccinations

Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)

  • This is a national reporting system run by the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to collect and analyze information on adverse events that occur after immunizations

  • It is NOT a vaccine error-reporting system but rather a system for tracking dangers caused by the vaccines themselves

  • The FDA and CDC use VAERS information to ensure the safest strategies of vaccine use and reduce the rare risks associated with vaccines

  • The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 requires healthcare personnel to report serious adverse reactions from vaccines

  • Guillain-Barre Syndrome: A rare disorder in which your body’s immune system attacks your nerves. Weakness and tingling in your hands and feet are usually the first symptoms. These sensations can quickly spread and can eventually lead to paralysis of the entire body.

  • Before a patient is given a vaccine in the retail setting they will need to fill out a Screening Checklist for Contraindication to Vaccines for Adults

  • Whenever giving a vaccine the patient will always receive a Vaccine Information Sheet