Press Release: April 27, 2010
The Monmouth County Regional Health Commission is happy to announce our new vaccination program for adults and children, which is scheduled to begin in May. Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding, we will be able to provide certain vaccines to our residents. They are:
• Pneumococcal (Prevnar, Pneumovax)
• Human papillomavirus (HPV or Gardasil)
• Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (TdaP)
• Meningococcal (Menactra)
Tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (TdaP) is available for ages 10-64, and is suggested as a one-time dose to replace the Td booster for that dose. It was licensed in 2005 and is the first vaccine for adolescents and adults which offers protection against all three diseases. Prior to this, only Td was available for those age groups. Including pertussis protection ensures that adults do not spread this disease to young infants and children who may not be fully immunized.
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. Gardasil, the HPV vaccine, is a 3-dose series over a period of 6 months and may be administered to males and females ages 9-26. ACIP recommends routine vaccination at 11 or 12 years of age, but can be begun as young as 9 years of age. Catch-up vaccination is recommended for ages 13-26.
Pneumococcal disease can lead to serious infections such as pneumonia, particularly in the elderly and very young. Pneumovax is recommended for adults 65 years of age and up; anyone 2 through 64 with a chronic health problem (sickle cell disease, heart or respiratory condition, cancer), or who is a smoker.
Meningococcal disease is a potentially severe illness and is a leading cause of meningitis in the US. It can be fatal. The meningococcal vaccine is required for 6th grade admittance, and also for admittance to many colleges (for resident students).
Please see our website (www.mcrhc.org) for more information or call (732) 493-9520 to register. A $10.00 administration fee will be charged for each vaccine except that there is no charge for Pneumovax for those with Medicare Part B.
We also have purchased hepatitis B vaccine for adults, which is available in our office for $32.00 per dose, or $35.00 per dose if given offsite (minimum of 5 persons needed to administer offsite).
Sandra Van Sant, MPH, APN
Health Officer
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