{"id":5414,"date":"2019-04-08T07:55:03","date_gmt":"2019-04-08T07:55:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=5414"},"modified":"2021-03-30T15:44:35","modified_gmt":"2021-03-30T15:44:35","slug":"14-misconceptions-vs-truths-about-pneumococcal-vaccine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/14-misconceptions-vs-truths-about-pneumococcal-vaccine\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Misconceptions vs. Truths About Pneumococcal Vaccine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Almost 1-million Americans contract pneumococcal pneumonia every year, that\u2019s a significant portion of the population. Pneumonia is a preventable disease, so it\u2019s surprising how many people still get this infection \u2013 especially in the era of vaccines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pneumococcal bacteria are responsible for the development of pneumonia, and its effects on the body can vary depending on the extent of the infection, as well as the patients\u2019 medical history and age. Seniors and cigarette smokers are most at risk of developing pneumonia, and they struggle with clearing the infection as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seniors experience a decrease in immune function as they age, and smokers often experience chronic bronchitis infection which can progress to pneumonia. Taking a pneumococcal vaccine helps prevent the onset of bacterial infection which results in pneumonia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the vaccine has already been available for decades, why do people avoid being vaccinated? Here are eight misconceptions and truths about the pneumococcal vaccine.
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1.   Vaccines Kill People<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Talk to enough people about vaccines<\/a>, and you\u2019re likely to run into a conspiracy theorist that tells you they refuse to vaccinate themselves and their family against infectious diseases, such as pneumococcal bacteria. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When pressed, these people reveal that they believe vaccines are a government plot to wipe out the American people. When asked for evidence of these accusations, the conspiracy theorist will point out that vaccines are responsible for the development of autism in children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While this may seem like a ludicrous statement, these individuals whole-heartedly believe that they will end up dying if they receive a vaccination. However, further study of the subject shows that this is indeed an absurd statement. There were some initial complications with early vaccines, but science has since perfected the medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Refusing to vaccinate your family and yourself allows for previously exterminated diseases, such as smallpox, to gain the chance at a revival. Discarding the science on the topic because you watched a YouTube video, is a case of poor judgment.
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2.  Pneumococcal Vaccines Only Prevent Pneumonia<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many people think that they don\u2019t need a pneumococcal vaccine because they don\u2019t reside in the high-risk category for developing pneumonia <\/a>\u2013 So, why bother risking a vaccination if you never intend on catching the disease? While this may make sense to the uninformed, the truth yields a different answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Respiratory and blood infections, along with meningitis, are some examples of diseases attributed to pneumococcus bacteria. Considering the danger posed by highly infectious diseases like meningitis, it would seem like a no-brainer to get yourself, and your family members vaccinated against these threats to your family\u2019s health. Pneumococcus bacteria is an aggressive infection that\u2019s responsible for a wide range of severely infectious diseases, and the vaccine provides protection against infection that may end up with a stay at the hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pneumococcal diseases transmit to people through body fluids that transfer into the air when the infected individual coughs or sneezes. Vaccinated individuals have protection against breathing in these harmful particles.
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3.  Vaccines are for Everyone<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We want to think that anyone can receive the pneumococcal vaccine, but this simply isn\u2019t the case. While most people can benefit from the protection afforded them by vaccination, some individuals may develop an allergic <\/a>response to the vaccine or components of the vaccine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some cases, these allergies can result in anaphylaxis \u2013 a condition when the airways suddenly close, choking the affected person and resulting in the death of the patient. It\u2019s for this reason that doctors conduct thorough background checks into your medical history for any signs of allergies. Anyone who has experienced an allergic reaction to another form of a vaccine to treat any other sort of disease, cannot receive pneumococcal vaccines either. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Children under the age of 2-months old are also forbidden against vaccination, as their delicate immune systems are not yet ready to handle this type of controlled infection. While vaccines are a benefit of modern medical science, we still have yet to uncover a delivery system that suits every person on the planet.
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4.  A Vaccine is a Vaccine<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When we book a consultation with our doctor to vaccinate ourselves and our family members, we would forgive you for thinking that there is only one type of pneumococcal vaccine for everyone. However, this uninformed position is an assumption with no grounding in reality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pneumococcal vaccines are available in two different formats called PCV13 and PPSV23. There are minor differences in these vaccines that make them suitable for different people. When arriving at your doctor\u2019s office, the physician will evaluate your medical history and present state of health and make the call on which type of vaccine to use to inoculate you against the bacteria<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It makes little difference which vaccine your doctor chooses to administer, and this is a point in the process where you have to trust their best judgment unless you wish to go and spend 9-years studying medicine to earn your practitioner license. The chances are your doctor has administered thousands of these vaccines, and if there were a problem, they would know about it before anyone else.
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5.  No-One Needs a Vaccine \u2013 it\u2019s a Medical Racket<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many people who aren\u2019t conspiracy theorists believe that vaccines are not effective in preventing infection<\/a>. These individuals recount stories of people who received a vaccine and got sick a few years later. However, they fail to take into account that some diseases, such as tetanus, require a booster shot every 10-years to ensure the body remains protected against infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reality is that there are high-risk groups that can benefit significantly from receiving the vaccination against pneumococcal disease. If you fall into any of the following categories, speak to your doctor about the pneumococcal vaccine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022    Young children who attend nursery school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022    Individuals who smoke tobacco products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022    Anyone who has experienced the flu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022    Seniors over the age of 65-years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022    People who have diabetes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022    Patients with existing lung disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These high-risk individuals not only present a risk to themselves but to those around them as well. Pneumonia is a highly infectious condition that spreads readily through contact with body fluids \u2013 such as airborne particles you breathe in after an infected person sneezes or coughs around you.
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6.  You Can Take a Vaccine if You\u2019re Starting to Feel Sick<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many people who start to feel the onset of a pneumococcal infection \u2013 such as influenza or bronchitis<\/a>, may think that they can rush to the doctor\u2019s office and receive an inoculation against the rising infection. However, this is not the case. People who are in the process of dealing with a disease will gain no benefit from receiving the vaccination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s best if you visit your doctor\u2019s office for vaccination when you are 100-percent healthy and have no signs of pending infection. The immunization may introduce symptoms of the disease to your body in a small quantity to help your system build an immune resistance to the bacteria. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, people who receive vaccination may notice that the skin inflames around the injection site, and they may develop mild headache symptoms as the body creates white blood cells and antibodies to fight off the infection and build resistance to the pneumococcal bacteria.
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7.  Vaccines Have Dangerous Side Effects<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Before a vaccine reaches the market for mass consumption, it’s tested rigorously for years in laboratory conditions and clinical trials. A vaccine may take the better part of a decade to make it through the testing phase to the point where it\u2019s available at your local doctor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While researchers and physicians <\/a>do all they can to ensure that the vaccine presents no severe symptoms, there are cases where the vaccine present adverse health conditions in some individuals. Those people with allergies to eggs may not agree with the vaccine and experience the onset of anaphylaxis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned previously, other minor side effects produced by vaccines included inflammation and redness at the injection site for a few days after administration. Patients may also develop mild flu symptoms that clear within 24-hours after vaccination. It\u2019s for this reason that your doctor will make you wait on the premises for 15-minutes after injection to ensure that you don\u2019t develop any adverse health reactions.
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8.  Other Common Misconceptions About Vaccination<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some people believe that even with vaccines, it\u2019s impossible to eradicate a pneumococcal disease from the population. These individuals think that there are too many people in communities presenting hosts for pneumococcal bacteria. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This statement has some truth to it, but its thanks to vaccines that civilization managed to get rid of a disease like polio and smallpox. In vaccination medicine, there is a strategy known as, \u201cherd immunity.\u201d This vaccination strategy involves vaccinating entire communities against a specific disease \u2013 such as smallpox. This mass vaccination gives the disease <\/a>nowhere to run or hide, and the mass immunity of the population prevents and recurring infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, in today\u2019s society, communities are far more significant than they were some 70-years ago, and as a result, the populace of a town or city may not have everyone on board with vaccination, or it may be too challenging to administer herd immunity programs due to travel or conflicting opinions on vaccines and their safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

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