1. Orientation to Immunizations
for Medical Personnel
who are new to working with vaccines
Module #1
Introduction to Vaccine Preventable Diseases
Carolee Besteman, RN MS
Clinical Consultant
Michigan Primary Care Association
Updated March 2010
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2. Introduction
• This Introductory Course
– Gives information to
• Work as a team (e.g., medical assistant and provider)
– Does NOT give enough information
• For medical assistant (MA) to assess for needed
immunizations on your own
• To make decisions
– About medical care
– About specific contraindications or precautions
– Expectations are that you will:
• Continue to learn about vaccines and immunizations
• Participate in yearly inservices from LHD or MDCH
– To teach you additional details
– To let you know what is new
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3. Module #1 Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Why do we give immunizations?
• Prevention
• Immunity
– Antibodies
• Proteins the
body makes
that protect us
from diseases
– Do NOT confuse
with Antibiotics
• Medicines that
fight disease
after infection
has begun
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4. Why Immunize?
• Vaccines prevent specific communicable diseases
• Why learn about these diseases?
– All of these communicable diseases
• Spread easily (usually - but not always - from person to person)
• May be very serious
– Cause pain and suffering
– May be deadly
• Are vaccine-preventable diseases
• To work with vaccines, MA does NOT need to recognize
or diagnose the diseases
• But the diseases all need to be real
– To you
– To your patients & families
• You must recognize the names of the diseases if you
hear they are spreading in your state or town
• Sometimes the disease and vaccine are called by the
same name
– Ask if this becomes confusing to you 4

5. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
• Many are spread by
talking, coughing, or
sneezing
• One is spread in the dirt
(Tetanus)
• Some are spread in other
ways
– Blood or body fluids
(Hepatitis B)
– Sexual activity (Human
Papillomavirus & Hep B)
– Contaminated food or
water (Hep A)
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6. Vaccines-Preventable Diseases
Hepatitis B
• Virus which infects the
liver
• Spread by blood and
other body fluids
• Symptoms may include
yellow eyes & skin,
tiredness, loss of appetite
& nausea
• Or may cause no
symptoms that we
can see
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7. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Hepatitis B (cont)
• Can lead to different
kinds of liver disease
– Cirrhosis
– Liver cancer
• Some people become
carriers
– Which means they never
get rid of the virus in their
liver
– Will have life-long liver
problems
– Can spread virus to other
people without being
aware of it
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8. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Hepatitis A
• Hep A virus and Hep B
virus both infect the liver
• However, Hep A disease is
caused by a different virus
than the Hep B virus
• Usually spread by food or
water that is contaminated
with stool from another
person with disease
• Causes the same
symptoms as Hepatitis B
which we may or may not
be able to see
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9. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Diphtheria
• Disease has several types
• One type forms thick gray
coating over back of
throat.
• Coating can eventually
cover the airway and
suffocate the patient
•Can also effect one’s heart
• Kills 1 of 10 people
infected with it
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10. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Tetanus
• Lives in the dirt and feces
of some animals
• Enters the body through
cuts, abrasions, and
puncture wounds
• Muscles become rigid &
the patient cannot open
mouth or swallow
• May not be able to
breathe
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11. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Tetanus (cont)
• Causes painful
contractions &
spasms
• Spasms may break
the patient’s bones
• Kills 3 in 10 people
infected with it
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12. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Pertussis
(Whooping Cough)
• Horrendous cough that
can last 6-9 months
• With great amounts of
mucus and choking
• May turn blue from lack of
oxygen while coughing
• Blood vessels in eyes
and face may break from
coughing
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13. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Hib (Haemophilus
influenza type b)
• Disease can take many
forms
– This child’s facial tissue is
infected with Hib
– Hand is gangrene from
sepsis with Hib
– Can also cause
pneumonia, arthritis
• In past, was a major
cause of meningitis
• However, do not call it
“meningitis vaccine”
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14. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Polio
• Disease which cripples
and paralyzes many of
its victims
• Before vaccine,
outbreaks terrified
whole towns and states
• Many patients did not
look or feel sick but still
spread the disease
• Now rarely seen in the
US but still a problem in
some parts of the world
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15. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Polio cont
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16. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Pneumococcal
disease
• Again, disease can take
many forms
• Leading cause of
meningitis
• Causes 10% of ear
infections in the US
• But do NOT call it the
“ear infection” vaccine
• Child can still get ear
infections from other
causes
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17. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
• Meningococcal disease
– Often affects the brain and spinal cord (meningitis)
– Spreads by
• sneezing
• coughing
• kissing
• sharing food and drinks with infected person
– In places where people are in close contact
(such as college dorms)
– Common early symptoms include
• fever
• headache
• confusion
• stiff neck
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18. Vaccine-Preventable Disease
Meningococcal
Disease (cont)
• Can also affect other
parts of body & cause
– Loss of arms or legs
– Deafness
– Nervous system problems
– Mental retardation
– Seizures
– Strokes
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19. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Rotavirus
• One major cause of
– Vomiting
– Diarrhea
– High fever
• Child becomes severely
dehydrated very quickly
• Vaccine does not prevent
all rotavirus illness but
does give 98% protection
against severe disease
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20. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Measles
• Begins with red, watery
eyes and runny nose
• Then patient develops
rash over whole body
• May lead to severe
complications such as
– Pneumonia
– Deafness
– Miscarriage if the woman is
pregnant
– Premature birth
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21. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Measles (cont)
• Disease is still a
problem world wide
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22. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Mumps
• Causes painful swelling
under the jaw and in
front of the ear
• Can cause painful
swelling of the testicles
in men which can make
them sterile
• Can also cause
– Meningitis
– Brain damage
– Deafness
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23. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Rubella
• Rash especially on face
and neck.
• Slight fever
• Patient may not feel very
ill
• Teach patients to call
diseases “measles” and
“rubella”
– Do NOT allow confusion to
develop with names like
“German measles,”
“rubeolla”, “3-day measles”
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24. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Rubella (cont)
• Very serious if pregnant
woman becomes infected
– She can pass disease on
to unborn baby
– May cause miscarriage
– May cause stillbirth
• Or she may give birth to
child with Congenital
Rubella Syndrome
– Physical problems, such as
• cataracts or blindness
• hearing loss or deafness
• heart damage
– Mental retardation
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25. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Chickenpox
(Varicella)
• Itchy rash that forms
blisters
• Often mild but can be
very serious
• Before vaccine, 50-
100 people died each
year from chickenpox
disease in US
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26. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Chickenpox (Varicella) cont
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27. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Human Papillomavirus
• Infection that causes
– Genital warts
– Cervical cancer
• Passed from person to
person by sexual activity
• Virus is very, very common
• Most people with infection
do not know they have it
• But certain strains, over a
period of time, can cause
cervical cancer
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28. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Shingles (Herpes Zoster)
• Varicella (chickenpox) virus
has been dormant in body
• Now emerges again and
causes shingles
• Most common in people 50
years of age and older
• But may affect children also
• Causes clusters of blister-
like rash
– In a strip-like pattern
– On one side of the body
– Itching or numbness
– Severe pain that can last
for weeks, months, or
years
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29. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Influenza (“flu”)
• Respiratory infection
– That begins suddenly
– May include
• Aching all over
• Fever
• Runny nose
• Sore throat
• Cough
• But is NOT a
– “Stomach problem”
• Is NOT vomiting
• Is NOT diarrhea
• Can be very severe with
many possible complications
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30. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
• ALL of these diseases:
– Are preventable!!
– With vaccines!!
• But to give protection, vaccines must be:
– Administered correctly
– Handled and stored correctly
– Documented correctly
• Your patients must be:
– Assessed correctly for contraindications and precautions
– Taught about
• Which vaccines they are given
• Which vaccines they will need next
• When they will need next vaccines
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31. Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
• If you need more information about the
vaccine-preventable diseases
– Read Vaccine Information Statements (VIS)
• VIS have information on
– Disease
– Vaccine
– Side effects from vaccine
– AND much more!
– Check out The Pink Book from Centers for
Disease Control (CDC)
• Online at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook
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