Healthy Living gets immunized

We all receive vaccinations as part of the immunization program of the National Health Service to ward off debilitating diseases.  With the rapid development in the drug therapy, new vaccinations have become available commercially; not only for children but for adults as well. They are considered a good investment to keep you healthy and safe. Healthy Living has the details.

Marleni Cuellar, Reporting

Belize has a very good track record for the immunization of our babies and we maintain a prescribed vaccination schedule from the Ministry of health for children from birth to the teenage years. In fact, most parents can recall taking their babies “da clinic” to get their shots. But vaccinations are always evolving and did you know that as adults we can still receive protection from life threatening diseases? Dr. Cardo Martinez tells us about some of the newest vaccinations available in Belize.

Dr. Cardo Martinez, Pediatrician

“The thinking minds of the world say that over the last two hundred years the most important contribution has been the discovery and application of vaccines. Vaccination is nothing more than the application of a biological product, a substance that use to have life administered to you in a form that will not cause sickness but rather cause memory cells to develop so that when you come in contact with the real illness, those memory cells are immediately available to protect you. So that is what a vaccine does; it immunizes you. Today vaccines give you anywhere from in between 95 to 99% depending on which one you’re speaking about  and that is why it is important to follow the schedule; that is why its is important to compliment what you need to compliment.”

The current vaccination schedule for children in Belize covers a wide range of debilitating diseases. However, parents now have the option to get additional vaccinations for their children.

Dr. Cardo Martinez

Cardo Martinez

“What we offer for example Synflorix, is a vaccine that protects against one of eth three primary germs  that affect kids under five years of age.  Ninety percent of illnesses are due to three different germs for children under 5 years of age. The Synflorix protects against one set of those germs by the name of pneumoccas. And it protects especially against the invasive form of pneumoccas which is the most violent form of pneuomoccas which is the one that produce pneumonias and the worse form of pneumonias and other terrible illnesses but it also simultaneously protects you against the second most common germ which is the most common cause of illnesses for children under five years of age that is known as the non-typablehaemophilus influenza.”

This would be supplementary to the vaccines offered through the clinics. However, some adults have never been immunized for diseases like Hepatitis B, which was only administered countrywide in 2000.

Dr. Cardo Martinez

“Traditionally vaccination have been the purvue of only kids. We look at for example at chicken pox, but lets look for example at hepatitis B. Hep B is transmitted by all fluids, many years ago science use to say by blood. Today it is transmitted by all fluids. Let’s look at the fact, approx 1 in every 6 to 7 people in the United States carry hepatitis B. Lets look at the fact that in Belize as a country the carrier rate in out country is high, I think it was established by the US armies in the mid nineties. So those who have not been immunized for Hep B – Should be immunized.  Keep in mind that the ministry does comply with the schedule you needs as a child but it doesn’t give you the booster you need at 10. Keep in mind that hepatitis B vaccine is the 1^st recognized vaccine to prevent cancer, cause hepatitis B produces cancer in the liver. So it’s a cancer preventing vaccine.”

Another vaccination that can be very useful to adult women is Cervarix, which is for the prevention of a common cancer-causing virus.

Dr. Cardo Martinez

“Finally we have the cervarix which is the vaccine that prevents the human papiloma virus which is the cause of both cancer of the cervix and ademo carcinoma which is the cancer of the cervical canal and the effectiveness of that is ninety-nine percent.”

That vaccination can be administered to females from age ten. Other available vaccines include protection from Chicken Pox, Hepatitis A and the more common flu vaccine. However, because they are not included in the Ministry of Health Vaccination schedule, there is a cost associated with each vaccine.  Dr Martinez firmly believes that it is a worthwhile investment.

Dr. Cardo Martinez

“Let’s put it this way, if you have an invasive pneumococcas whereby a discharging middle ear infection with a possibility of developing meningitis which causes one in every three patients end up with permanent damage of the brain. Or if you have pneumonia with pus in your chest cavity and that puts your life in high peril for example or if for example u develop cervical cancer even when it costs a very impressive amount to remove your womb. Versus what the vaccine costs and in the case of the vaccines it is protection for life.”