Guest guest Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 Few adults get vaccinated http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he- briefly28jan28,1,3109151.story Vaccines aren't just for kids, but far too few grown-ups are rolling up their sleeves, disappointed federal health officials reported Wednesday. The numbers of the newly vaccinated are surprisingly low, considering how much public attention a trio of new shots -- which protect against shingles, whooping cough and cervical cancer -- have received. Yet many people seem to have missed, or forgotten, the news: A survey by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases found that aside from the flu, most adults have trouble naming diseases that they could prevent with a simple inoculation. " We really need to get beyond the mentality that vaccines are for kids. Vaccines are for everybody, " said Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who called the new data sobering. The new report found: * Only about 2% of Americans age 60 and older received a vaccine against shingles in its first year of sales. * About 2% of adults ages 18 to 64 got a booster shot against whooping cough in the two years since it hit the market. * About 10% of women ages 18 to 26 have received at least one dose of a three-shot series that protects against the human papillomavirus, or HPV, that causes cervical cancer. Price may play a role in these low vaccination rates. The shingles shot costs around $150, and the three-shot HPV vaccine about $300, and insurance coverage varies. There's no national program to guarantee access for adults who can't afford vaccines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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