Immunizations

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treetop02

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  1. Pre-Pharmacy
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pharmacy school requires both
1.)Tetanus/Diptheria(Td) and
2.) Diptheria/Tetanus & Pertusis(DTap)

are they both the same shots ? My doctor wants to know why I need both. Anyone got a clue?
 
pharmacy school requires both
1.)Tetanus/Diptheria(Td) and
2.) Diptheria/Tetanus & Pertusis(DTap)

are they both the same shots ? My doctor wants to know why I need both. Anyone got a clue?

You don't get both because they both have the tetanus component. If you are relatively due for your Td and are not allergic to the pertusis component, then get the Tdap. If you have had the Td very recently, talk to your school about how stringent the Pertusis component is.
 
They are recommending that any adult that hasnt had a Pertusis booster in adulthood get the DTap due to the increase in Pertusis cases in the US. Is this for a vaccination list for school? I had to get two tetanus shots (and I did get one each of those you mentioned) because I didnt have access to my childhood immunization records, so I had to have two tetanus at least a month apart.

If you have your immunization records there is no reason you would need both shots. Call your school if you have to for an explaination. If you just get one shot I recommend getting the DTap.
 
i have no immunization record so i should just take dtap without consulting with the school and it should be fine?

They are recommending that any adult that hasnt had a Pertusis booster in adulthood get the DTap due to the increase in Pertusis cases in the US. Is this for a vaccination list for school? I had to get two tetanus shots (and I did get one each of those you mentioned) because I didnt have access to my childhood immunization records, so I had to have two tetanus at least a month apart.

If you have your immunization records there is no reason you would need both shots. Call your school if you have to for an explaination. If you just get one shot I recommend getting the DTap.
 
Your doctor didn't do a test on you to check for titers? My doctor did a blood test for me and told me what shots I still need to get.
 
i have no immunization record so i should just take dtap without consulting with the school and it should be fine?

correct. if you have never had Td shot or no records, get the tdap and that will cover tetanus and pertusis and your good.
 
They are recommending that any adult that hasnt had a Pertusis booster in adulthood get the DTap due to the increase in Pertusis cases in the US. Is this for a vaccination list for school? I had to get two tetanus shots (and I did get one each of those you mentioned) because I didnt have access to my childhood immunization records, so I had to have two tetanus at least a month apart.

If you have your immunization records there is no reason you would need both shots. Call your school if you have to for an explaination. If you just get one shot I recommend getting the DTap.


you got two tetanus shots within 1 month of each other? the Tdap covers you for tetanus and pertusis, you shouldn't have needed both regular Td and Tdap.
 
My requirements for school where either:

a) childhood vaccination history for tetanus + tetanus booster within 5 years
b) two adult tetanus shots with at least 1 month between each

I could not get my childhood immunization records, so I had to do option B. The adult tetanus shot contains less "activity" than the childs one, as it is intended to be a booster, so this is somewhat understandable requirement, because for all they know (and all I can prove), I've never had a tetanus shot.

Its fine to take them like that, as a one time school requirement, but dont make a habit of freq boosters.
 
My requirements for school where either:

a) childhood vaccination history for tetanus + tetanus booster within 5 years
b) two adult tetanus shots with at least 1 month between each

I could not get my childhood immunization records, so I had to do option B. The adult tetanus shot contains less "activity" than the childs one, as it is intended to be a booster, so this is somewhat understandable requirement, because for all they know (and all I can prove), I've never had a tetanus shot.

Its fine to take them like that, as a one time school requirement, but dont make a habit of freq boosters.

now i see what you mean.
 
i had my blood test 2 years ago to check for titers. I just got accepted to pharmacy school for this upcoming school year. Do I need to do the blood test again since it's been 2 years already?
 
My requirements for school where either:

a) childhood vaccination history for tetanus + tetanus booster within 5 years
b) two adult tetanus shots with at least 1 month between each

I could not get my childhood immunization records, so I had to do option B.

Sux! I just got my booster today. And Hep B. Why do I need Hep B? And why can't they just take my word for it that I don't have TB? I promise I don't.
 
what is a booster shot? I have no records of immunizations so I had my tdap shot. Do I need a booster shot for it too?
 
Sux! I just got my booster today. And Hep B. Why do I need Hep B? And why can't they just take my word for it that I don't have TB? I promise I don't.

Umm... you need Hep B because you might get a needle stick at some point, which would make you susceptible to Hep B.

And you have no idea whether or not you have TB. TB is a growing problem in the world, and if you were exposed to someone in a close setting who has it, you may have it and not know. At one point, TB was a large killer of the adult population. With the amount of antibiotic-resistant strains becoming prevalent, it may become so again.

I seriously hope you were kidding. Otherwise, you might need to re-take microbiology ASAP.
 
what is a booster shot? I have no records of immunizations so I had my tdap shot. Do I need a booster shot for it too?

I'd check and see what your school requires. The school I'm going to is going to have me meet with a nurse at the health center to figure out exactly what I need right before school starts.
 
Umm... you need Hep B because you might get a needle stick at some point, which would make you susceptible to Hep B.

And you have no idea whether or not you have TB. TB is a growing problem in the world, and if you were exposed to someone in a close setting who has it, you may have it and not know. At one point, TB was a large killer of the adult population. With the amount of antibiotic-resistant strains becoming prevalent, it may become so again.

I seriously hope you were kidding. Otherwise, you might need to re-take microbiology ASAP.

I probably should have put a winking or smiling face up there, eh? I do understand why I need all that stuff. But dammit, they hurt!
 
what is a booster shot? I have no records of immunizations so I had my tdap shot. Do I need a booster shot for it too?
Booster shots are done to boost your immunity to a certain pathogen. After awhile your body's immunity to certain antigens drops below a certain concentration and your are no longer considered immune. As a result you get a booster. The trouble is if you don't have your immunization history, to most docs, you aren't immunized. You have to then get all the required shots.

Curiously enough, didn't you have to get immunized to get into college?

Umm... you need Hep B because you might get a needle stick at some point, which would make you susceptible to Hep B.

And you have no idea whether or not you have TB. TB is a growing problem in the world, and if you were exposed to someone in a close setting who has it, you may have it and not know. At one point, TB was a large killer of the adult population. With the amount of antibiotic-resistant strains becoming prevalent, it may become so again.

I seriously hope you were kidding. Otherwise, you might need to re-take microbiology ASAP.
TB is more a problem in the immunocompromised because usually the hosts body fights off the infection and controls the infection. If you have a positive PPD, it does not mean that you are infected by any means. If means that you have been exposed to the antigen at one point and were infected at one point. You need to rule out active disease to decide which treatment is the best. The problem is, the bug is pretty damn infectious; its spread by aerosolization. Health care workers are at risk for catching the bug because they are around sick people that cough/sneeze/breathe. This can be a danger not only to themselves but also to other patients. This is why I have been stabbed 3 times this year by that damn test.
 
I probably should have put a winking or smiling face up there, eh? I do understand why I need all that stuff. But dammit, they hurt!

Okay, good. I had been worried there for a second. ;-)

I feel your pain at being a human pin cushion. I especially hate getting blood drawn, 'cause I have pretty small veins. The only thing that's made all that sort of stuff more bearable is that as I've been a grad student, I've been in several clinical trials. Getting your blood drawn and getting experimental vaccine injections isn't so bad when you get money for it... And strangely enough, now I'm more used to them, so when I don't get money, they're still not as bad.
 
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