Vaccine

Adults and teens might be lacking adequate protection from what is often viewed as a childhood illness, pertussis - the highly infectious bacterial disease known as whooping cough, according to health officials. Bordetella pertussis, the bacteria that causes pertussis, attaches to the lungs, producing toxins and inflaming the respiratory tract. The initial stage of the disease is characterized by sneezing and a mild cough, like a common cold. A high-pitched "whooping" cough comes in the latter stage of the disease.

HAGERSTOWN -- A steady flow of people moved through the Washington County Health Department to receive the H1N1 vaccine during a daylong clinic Friday. Officials said people began lining up at about 6:30 a.m. to receive one of 2,000 free doses that were available. The clinic began at 8 a.m. and lasted until 4 p.m. About 250 people received the vaccine, according to Health Department spokesman Rod MacRae. He said the health department has administered about 6,215 H1N1 vaccines this year.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. -The Antietam Humane Society, 8513, Lyons Road, Waynesboro, Pa., will hold a rabies clinic at Blue Ridge K-9 Training Center, Blue Ridge Summit, Pa., from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. Dogs and cats 3 months of age and older may be vaccinated at a cost of $8 each. Proof of previous vaccination is required to be eligible for a three year rabies vaccine; otherwise a one year vaccine will be given. All animals should be on a leash or in a carrier. Call the shelter at 717-762-9091.

It's that time againback to school! Make sure your children are immunized and up to date on required vaccines before they return. Q: What are the immunization requirements for school-aged children in Maryland? A: All of the immunizations listed below need to be administered by the time the child goes to school, whether that's at age 5 to kindergarten or later. Exceptions are noted in parentheses. By kindergarten, age 5 4 doses of DtaP, DTP (Three doses of tetanus and diphtheria containing vaccines, DTP, DtaP, DT, or Td, are required for children 7 years of age or older.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Several cases of whooping cough have been detected in Jefferson County, W.Va., in the past week and parents of children are being urged to review their children's immunization records to make sure their kids are protected from the disease, Jefferson County Health Department officials said. The cases have occurred in individuals who have not been vaccinated, officials said. Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, can be a serious disease, especially among children, although deaths are rare, according to a news release from the health department.

'Tis the cold season - Achoo! By MARLO BARNHART / Staff Writer Winter is normally the season for colds at area hospitals and this year's is no exception. "The biggest problem we're seeing is pneumonia, affecting all ages," said Jenny Divelbliss, a nursing supervisor at Washington County Hospital in Hagerstown. Divelbliss estimated that 25 percent of the hospital's 250 or so patients Saturday are suffering from ailments relating to pneumonia or respiratory illnesses.

Senior Fair set for Thursday The Senior Fair, a project of the Washington County Commission on Aging, Inc./Area Agency on Aging, will be Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Ramada Inn & Conference Center, 901 Dual Highway in Hagerstown. Washington County Health Department will be at the Senior Fair to talk about pneumonia, its risks and the vaccine that can help to prevent it. The health department wants to improve levels of vaccination for pneumonia in Washington County, says Health Officer William Christoffel.

Rabies clinic MERCERSBURG, Pa. - The Antietam Humane Society in Waynesboro, Pa., will hold a rabies clinic from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday, June 27, at the MMP&W Fire Company, 132 N. Main St., Mercersburg. Dogs and cats 3 months of age and older may be vaccinated for $8 each. Proof of previous vaccination is required to be eligible for a three-year rabies vaccine; otherwise a one-year vaccine will be given. All animals should be on a leash or in a carrier. For information, call the shelter at 717-762-9091.

HAGERSTOWN - Hagerstown resident Talita Rodriguez didn't even have to leave her car to receive a flu shot Friday afternoon at North Hagerstown High School. The nurses came to her. "I think it's wonderful," Rodriguez said. "I've never seen anything like it before. It's a great idea to help the handicapped and the elderly. " Rodriguez was among several hundred Washington County residents who took advantage of the Washington County Health Department's Flu Clinic on Friday afternoon.

HAGERSTOWN -- Hagerstown resident Talita Rodriguez didn't even have to leave her car to receive a flu shot Friday afternoon at North Hagerstown High School. The nurses came to her. "I think it's wonderful," Rodriguez said. "I've never seen anything like it before. It's a great idea to help the handicapped and the elderly. " Rodriguez was among several hundred Washington County residents who took advantage of the Washington County Health Department's Flu Clinic on Friday afternoon.

Billy Snoots got a flu shot last year and effectively avoided the virus. Considering the rapid spread of influenza regionally and nationally over the past few months, Snoots said he wasn't taking any chances again this year, especially since he has a neighbor who has fallen ill with the flu recently. “I've put it off for a good while, so finally I said with the way things are happening, and it's happening so much, I figured I'd just go ahead and get one,” said the 70-year-old from Hagerstown.

The Washington County Health Department is having its second flu vaccination clinic of the season Oct. 26. With flu vaccinations widely available through local pharmacies, including ones at grocery and discount stores, the health department is not having the mass flu vaccination clinics it used to, health department spokesman Rod MacRae said. Instead, several smaller walk-in clinics will be held at the 1302 Pennsylvania Ave. health department, MacRae said. The remaining clinics will be held from 1 to 4:30 p.m. on five of the next six Fridays: Oct. 26 and Nov. 2, 9, 16, and 30, according to the health department's website at www.washhealth.org . “We still consider (vaccination)

The West Virginia Department of Education is reminding parents that students entering seventh and 12th grades this fall will need to visit a doctor or health clinic before school begins to update their immunizations. State law and West Virginia Board of Education policy now requires seventh-graders to receive a Tdap vaccine booster, as well as a dose of the meningococcal vaccine. High school seniors also must show proof of a single dose of Tdap and a booster dose of the meningococcal vaccine if the first dose was given before the age of 16, according to a news release from the West Virginia Department of Education.

Dusty Graham and Ruth Thompson sat in the waiting area of Home Care Pharmacy at Hager Park on a recent Thursday morning while the area filled and emptied with people. Graham, 60, and Thompson, 65, both of Hagerstown, met for the first time that morning and found they had two things in common - their love of knitting and wanting to keep themselves in good health. Both ladies had taken part in a shingles vaccine clinic on Jan. 19, at Home Care Pharmacy, and were taking the 15 minutes after they each had their shot to get some knitting in. What is shingles?

Hagerstown residents offered mixed reactions Tuesday when asked their opinion of whether children should be exempt from certain vaccines. A report by The Associated Press said a growing number of youngsters were skipping school shots in more than half of U.S. states. Carol Dyer, 63, said she is a registered nurse and supports vaccines for children. "I am for any kind of prevention that you can give and take or receive," she said. "I also think it's the parent's choice, but I do believe if there's a chance of mandating it, it should be mandated.

The Washington County Health Department's scheduled drive-through flu vaccination clinic, scheduled for 9 a.m. through 1 p.m. today, has been changed to a walk-in clinic, the health department announced in an email news release. Curbside service will be available for people with special needs, the announcement said. The clinic will be held at the Washington County Agricultural Education Center Multipurpose Building, 7313 Sharpsburg Pike. No appointment is necessary. Medicare is accepted, but no other insurance will be billed.

The Washington County Health Department will conduct a seasonal flu vaccination clinic for adults from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, at the Washington County Health Department, 1302 Pennsylvania Ave., Hagerstown. This is a walk-in clinic, and no appointment is necessary. Medicare is accepted. No other insurance will be billed. A donation of $20 is appreciated. To read, “Vaccine Information Statement: Inactivated Influenza Vaccine - What You Need to Know 2011-12,” go to www.washhealth.org .

The Washington County Health Department will conduct a seasonal flu vaccination clinic for adults only on Friday, Oct. 21, according to an agency news release. No appointment will be necessary at the walk-in clinic will be held at the health department at 1302 Pennsylvania Ave. in Hagerstown, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., the release said. Medicare will be accepted, and no other insurance will be billed, the release said. However, a donation of $20 would be appreciated, the release said.