Yesterday Amy wrote "I myself have not had any vaccines since I don't
even know when, surely adults would need to be boostered at some point?
My doc has never suggested it."
 
Actually, getting 'boostered' in adulthood is not a rare thing.  It has a
lot to do with what you do for a living.  Many who go into some aspect of
teaching discover that they have to be immunized against tuberculosis on
a regular basis.  TB is not one of the 'baby shots'.
 
Hepatitis A and B series immunizations are given in childhood, but again,
occupation is very important.  My husband repairs giant industrial pumps,
some of which pump (ick) human sewerage.  As a result, he had to get his
Hep A and B series all over again, and that's danged expensive!  The
government heavily subsidises the cost of 'baby shots', but once you're
over 18, you are on your own.  Many people learn that financially painful
lesson when they apply for college, and learn that they are missing a
shot.  Colleges and universities can't let you in without a complete set.
Far more common than the discovery that you have somehow inadvertantly
'missed a shot' is bad record keeping, which could require extensive
reimmunization before you can start classes.
 
In most states (if not all by now) getting married gets you 'boostered'
for rubella, if you are a woman.  The state requires a blood test to see
if you still have immunity from your two baby shots.  If not, you get it
again.  Rubella can cause horrific birth defects.  It pays to be sure
before you try to start a family.
 
It is very common for people to get 'boostered' for tetanus, as well.  If
you show up at a doctor's or a hospital with, say, a rusty nail sticking
out of your foot and you have no idea when your last tetanus shot was, or
it has been more than ten years since your last one, you will get
another.
 
These are just some common examples.
 
As for a doctor's knowledge of your immunization history, it is often a
spotty thing with adults.  Records have a way of disappearing over the
years, especially with transfers from one doctor to another.  Think about
it.  Do you even know the name of your pediatrician?  He or she was only
required to keep your records for seven years after your last visit, nine
if you were a minor at the time of your last visit.  Schools have to keep
them on file, but again, only for a set number of years.  Does having
this record really matter, I mean, everybody gets their baby shots,
right?  Wrong.
 
Did you drop out of school young?  That means the school no longer had
any obligation to the state to see that you were properly immunized.  If
your parents didn't keep on top of it for one reason or another, you may
well be missing some 'baby shots' that are typically administered at ages
anywhere from the years "thirteen through eighteen", as suggested by the
Recommended Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule.  That's a
federal thing, but it's the states who track immunizations, and they do
it primarily through schools.  No school, nobody is necessarily keeping
track.  This is one of the 'hidden costs' we pay for our kids dropping
out.  Most people never think of it, but I guess it's the last thing on
your mind when your seventeen year old decides he's too smart for school.
 
Why do I know this junk?  Because I work with peoples medical records.
And I read in them the sometimes terrible price we pay for not immunizing
our kids.  They're all our kids.  They are all beautiful.  Please make
sure they get their shots, even if they are seventeen and driving you
mad because they just dropped out of the eleventh grade.
 
Alexandra in MA
(Getting off her soap box now)
[Posted in FML issue 4645]