Scott Webb (Host): Today we're talking vaccines with Dr. Daina Roberson. She's Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics with Franciscan Health, and she's going to tell us what vaccines do, how they work, and encourage all of us to get vaccinated to keep our kids, families, and others healthy.

 This is the Franciscan Health Doc Pod. I'm Scott Webb.

Doctor, it's so nice to have you here today. We're going to talk about vaccines today, right? From the vaccines we get as children all the way up through adulthood and maybe even into the fifties. And, you know, I know that you're a board certified in internal medicine and pediatrics, so let's talk about that. Let's talk about the importance of vaccines, you know, all the way through this process, this journey we're all on. And start there, I guess, the role of vaccines in keeping us healthy and maybe specifically, what do vaccines do? I think all suspect or think we know what they do, but what do they actually do?

Daina Roberson, MD: Great question. Yeah, so vaccines are an important part of preventative medicine, right? So we want to prevent disease. So when you get a vaccine, what happens is that your body builds an immune response against a specific disease. So whatever vaccine you're given, your body is going to recognize that as a disease, as something foreign, and it's going to make these antibodies that will recognize the disease if ever later on it tries to infect you.

Those antibodies will fight the disease off, essentially. So we want to give vaccines in order to prevent you from ever developing some of these diseases that could be deadly or even some that have just been eradicated, over the course of time. So it's all about prevention.

Host: Yeah, prevention for sure. And, you know, like I said, I think we all sort of understand it. Maybe not all vaccines work the same way, but you give us a good overview there. I don't know if it's myth or something, but I think some folks believe anyway, that when we get a vaccine, it's actually giving us you know, the disease or the illness. Is that how that works? And if not, could you clarify?

Daina Roberson, MD: Not exactly like that. It depends on the type of vaccine. So it's impossible to get the disease from a vaccine that's been made with a dead or killed virus or bacteria, or even just part of the bacteria or virus. There are only a couple really, common vaccines that are made from weakened or attenuated viruses.

cChickenpox or varicella is one. The MMR, measles, mumps, rubella is another one. Those vaccines could possibly give you a mild form of the disease if you get vaccinated with them. So for instance, if you get the chicken pox vaccine, it is possible that you may get some of those symptoms. You may get a rash or something like that.

But generally, the disease that you get from the vaccine is always much, much less severe than actually getting the disease itself or becoming infected with the virus. So overall, the risk of disease from vaccination is very small. And again, there are only a few live virus vaccines that we give that could potentially cause symptoms.

Host: Right. I'm not sure what the right way to put this is, but when it comes to children, to adults getting vaccines, should everyone get vaccines? Can everyone get vaccines? Or are there some people with certain conditions that really should avoid some or all vaccines?

Daina Roberson, MD: Great question. So most vaccines are safe for everyone, but of course, there are some cases where you shouldn't get certain vaccines. This really depends on your age or other health conditions, previous history of reaction to certain vaccines, things like that. So it's certainly a question that you should discuss with your physician.

 For instance, people who are undergoing treatment for cancer, chemotherapy, things like that, we may want to avoid certain vaccines, like the live vaccines, until later on when they're done with treatment or feeling better overall. Generally speaking, most people can get all vaccines, but there are some cases where we need to use a little discretion and discuss it further with your physician.

Host: Right. When in doubt, speak with your providers. They would know for sure. Let's talk about some of the vaccines that are administered, you know, at various ages in kids, you know, for school. I have two kids who've been through that, you know, you go to the pediatrician for one thing and they say, Hey, while you're here, you're due for these shots, right? Because you need these for school and so forth. So let's go through some of those.

Daina Roberson, MD: Sure. There are quite a few vaccines that we give for school aged children. Some of the common ones that you may hear about, the varicella or chicken pox, the MMR, tetanus shot, pneumonia, hepatitis B, rotavirus, some of those. And so we actually give the first vaccine right after birth. Most babies will get a hepatitis B vaccine while they're still in the hospital.

And then after that, every two to three months for the first couple of years, we're giving vaccines to prevent some common diseases. And then there's another set of vaccines between four to six years old. That's when you get your second set of measles, mumps, rubella, and chicken pox, and polio, and things like that.

Then again, at 11 years old, there's usually another set. And then again, between 16 and 18 years old. Because there are so many diseases that we have found treatment for or prevention for, we do group them together. And so when you come in for those well child visits, we try to get you to caught up on any vaccines that may be due or missing. And so, because there is a long list of them, there are a lot of combination vaccines as well. So, a kid doesn't have to get poked so many times. We'll try to give them in combination and that way there are not as many sticks and they can be a little more comfortable.

Host: Yeah. My kids often felt like I had somehow left out that information. You know, the old bait and switch. Oh, we're just going for this. And then, you know, we would get there and they would say, well, while you're here, it would be a good time to get these shots. And I would get that look for my kids. Like I should have warned them, you know?

But you say, there are things that are combined, they don't have to get poked as many times maybe as, you know, people from my generation did, and speaking of folks my generation, over the age of 50, that is, just wondering, are there some vaccines that are only administered in adulthood or to older folks like myself, and I'm referring to myself as an older, an older person now, apparently.

Daina Roberson, MD: So there are a few. The most common vaccines over 50, you know, at some point along the way, you'll be due for a tetanus booster. Those are every 10 years or so. Annual flu shots are another one. Now the COVID vaccine, getting those seasonally. Pneumonia shot is another one, although we do give that in kids, there are some that we give in adulthood.

HPV is another one, and shingles is probably the one that comes to mind that is more common just for older adults over 50, and that's to prevent getting shingles, which anyone who's had the chicken pox can develop.

Host: Right. Yeah. And I've heard that from other experts that you definitely don't want shingles. Try, try never to get shingles if you can. So I'm sure you're a proponent of all the vaccines that are appropriate for different people at whatever stages they're in, but I've heard that for sure about shingles and you know, Doctor, I'm wondering, is there anything that we can do to sort of lessen the effect or the, you know, that period you get vaccinated and your arm hurts and you don't maybe feel so good for a couple of days?

Is there anything we can do in terms of like our expectations for vaccines? Can we take any precautionary measures? I don't know, take some Tylenol before we go, like what can we do?

Daina Roberson, MD: Of course, with any vaccine, you're going to get some pain and maybe some redness, even sometimes some swelling right at the injection site. And you can take over the counter pain medication, whether that's Tylenol or ibuprofen, and apply some ice to the area. But we ask that you do that after you get the vaccine.

Interestingly, there are some studies that show taking things like Tylenol or ibuprofen before you get a vaccine could potentially lessen the effects of the vaccine. So we generally ask that even with kids, you know, give them some Tylenol as soon as you get home. But try not to do too many things before you come into the office.

 Icing the area is fine, if that's something you'd like to do. But otherwise, it's really just preparing yourself for that initial poke, um, and the pain that comes from that.

Host: Yeah, the preparation is more maybe mental than physical, right? Absolutely. Well, I know we're going to speak again soon about childhood literacy and when to start reading to our kids, and I'm excited about that one, but as we finish up today, I just want to have you go through the annual vaccines that you recommend and why.

Daina Roberson, MD: Great question. So again, I think the most common annual vaccine that people think about would be the flu shot. And now with COVID, likely that'll be an annual vaccine as well. But, the flu or strain of the flu, it changes, that virus sort of mutates or changes every season. So it's really important that we stay up to date on the latest recommended vaccine for the season.

And so although most people do recover well from the flu, there are lots of people where it can be deadly. You know, if you think about elderly or really young infants and children or people who have underlying conditions. So we want to do our part to protect our community, our neighbors, our family as well. So getting the flu shot helps to prevent the spread of the disease and protect those most at risk. So if I had to name one, that's probably the annual shot I'd recommend people get.

Host: Yeah, and then as you've mentioned here today, and we all know there's other vaccines, obviously COVID and otherwise and folks should do what feels right to them. Speak with their providers. It's what's great about when you have kids and pediatricians is they keep track of everything for you. You know, as you become an adult, it becomes a little murky.

Wait, when did I have that? Did I ever have that? But when you're a kid, you know, they have the whole, you guys have the whole list for us there and we know what they've had, what they need, when they need it, all that good stuff. And I mentioned that we're going to speak again soon. I look forward to that. Thank you so much.

Daina Roberson, MD: You're welcome. Thank you for having me.

Host: And for more information, go to FranciscanHealth.org and search immunizations. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels, and be sure to check out the full podcast library for additional topics of interest. This is the Franciscan Health Doc Pod. I'm Scott Webb. Stay well, and we'll talk again next time.