Bulldog Wellness

It's only fitting that August is National Immunization Awareness Month. Starting school means getting shots for many kids, but did you know that vaccines are not just for kids? There are recommended immunizations for every stage of life. Vaccines are designed to teach your immune system to fight off certain kinds of germs or disease. There is different technology or approaches used to create these immunizations based on a number of factors.

Inactivated vaccines use a dead version of the germ to provide immunity. This type of vaccine may require multiple doses over a period of time to gain immunity. Inactivated vaccines are used to provide protection against Hepatitis A, Influenza (shot only), Polio (shot only), and Rabies.

Live-attenuated vaccines use a live or weakened form of the germ to provide immunity. Because this type of vaccine is more like having the natural infection it usually creates a strong and long lasting immune response with only one or two doses. Live vaccines are used to provide protection against Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Rotavirus, Smallpox, Chickenpox (varicella), and Yellow Fever.

Messenger RNA (mRNA) have got a lot of attention the past couple of years. This type of vaccine has been studied for decades, and the technology was used to make some of the COVID-19 vaccines.

Subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide, and conjugate vaccines all use a specific piece of the germ (like a protein, sugar, or capsid - the casing around the germ). They give strong immune response, are safe for almost everyone (even those with weakened immune systems), however boosters are often needed to gain ongoing protection. This type of vaccine is used to provide protection against Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b), Hepatitis B, HPV (Human papillomavirus), Whooping cough (part of the DTaP combined shot), Pneumococcal, Meningococcal, and Shingles.

Toxoid vaccines use a toxin from the germ that causes disease, so the immune response is targeted to the toxin made by the germ instead of the whole germ. Boosters are needed with this to maintain ongoing protection. Toxoids are used to protect against Diphtheria and Tetanus.

Viral vector vaccines, like RNA have been studied for decades, and use a modified version of different virus as a vector to provide protection. Different viruses have been used as vectors including influenza, vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), measles, and adenovirus (common cold). This type of vaccine has been used for COVID-19.

Your immune system is like an army - always on patrol in your body. When it finds an invading germ, it attacks - this is called an immune response. It sounds an alarm to send antibodies or soldiers to fight off the germ. This process can take a few days but the antibodies attack, weaken and destroy the germ; and after your immune system forms memory cells to remember the germ. If it invades again your body recognizes it and quickly sends the right soldiers (antibodies) to attack so you don't get sick.

So how does vaccination help immunity? Well being immunized sparks this process with a very small amount of weak or dead germ so you don't get sick, but your body will recognize and send the right antibodies if and when you are ever exposed to that germ.

Many people will argue that vaccines can cause illness - "My flu shot made me so sick!" All vaccines take a while to provide immunity, usually a couple weeks, so you were either exposed to a germ prior to immunization or experiencing a normal immune response. All germs have an incubation period and if you were exposed days before your shot it is possible to be ill from that earlier exposure, but mistake it for the shot. However it can be very normal to experience an immune response (low grade fever, achey), not necessarily "sick" but your body is learning and attacking the foreign germ invader which can make you not feel 100% sometimes, but should only last a day or two.

If you want more information on when and what vaccines are recommended here is a link https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/growing/images/global/CDC-Growing-Up-with-Vaccines.pdf

In August the American Academy of Ophthalmology wants to educate the public about helping to protect and preserve children's eye health for life. Kids are susceptible to a host of vision and eye problems including injury, infection, and nearsightedness.

Common vision problems in children include vision loss, amblyopia, strabismus, and refractive errors (myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism). Almost 3% of children (under 18 years of age) are blind or visually impaired (meaning they have difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses or contacts).

Amblyopia or lazy eye is found in about 2% of kids 6 months - 6 years of age and is the most common cause of vision loss in children. Early detection is critical because treatment is most successful when started before the age of 7, it is less effective as the child ages, and left untreated or treated too late can lead to permanent vision loss in one or both eyes.

Strabismus is a misalignment of the eyes that can lead to the development of amblyopia. Because of the different direction of eye orientation the brain receives conflicting visual input and interferes with binocular vision and depth perception.

Refractive errors include myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism - refractive errors occur when light is not focused on the retina and causes blurred vision. Myopia or nearsightedness or difficulty seeing objects clearly at a distance. 4% of kids 6 months - 6 years have myopia and 9% of older children. Hyperopia is farsightedness or difficulty in seeing objects clearly up close. 21% of kids 6 months to 6 years have hyperopia, and 13% of children ages 5-17 years of age. Notice the decrease in percent as kids get older, this is because as the eye grows and develops farsightedness tends to decrease, and disappears into adolescence. Astigmatism is an irregularity in the shape of the cornea or lens that causes blurry vision at all distances if not corrected. 15-28% of kids age 5-17 years have an astigmatism.

Eye health considerations for students:

• Academic pressure can contribute to lack of sleep and prolonged computer use
• Prolonged screen time contributes to eye fatigue because you blink less frequently, significantly reducing lubrication in the eye making it feel tired, scratchy, and dry
• Eyes were not designed for focusing on a single object (like a computer) for an extended amount of time
• To give eyes a rest, or break from the screen use the 20-20-20 rule (every 20 minutes of computer work, look away for 20 seconds, and focus on an object at least 20 feet away)

This year I wanted to add a "Nurses Corner" section to the wellness newsletter. I thought we would start with Pink eye...

Conjunctivitis (Pink eye):

What is it? - An inflammation of the conjunctiva (the clear mucous membrane that covers the white part of the eyeball and the inside of the eyelid)

What causes it? - The conjunctiva becomes infected (usually by a virus or bacteria, but can also be caused by allergies, injuries, or chemicals)

Signs & Symptoms: Red, irritated eyes, eyelashes matted or stuck together when waking up, gritty feeling, eyes can be sensitive to light, can cause swelling of the eyelid, and itching.

How does it spread? By touching the secretions (eyes, nose, or mouth) of an infected person

Incubation Period: Usually 1-3 days, but can take up to 12 days after exposure (only viral or bacterial origins are contagious, other causes are not contagious)

Exclusions from school: Per the Department of Health and Senior Services, exclude until appropriate treatment has been initiated. RPS policy is that they need to be on treatment for 24 hours before return to school.

Not all red eyes are from pink eye and the nurse will evaluate and send home as appropriate. Please realize there are other causes for what may be suspected as pink eye such as allergies or styes.

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 10 minutes

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup Panko
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 zucchinis, thinly sliced to 1/4" thick rounds
• 1/2 cup all- purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, beaten

Instructions:

1) Heat vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat

2) In a large bowl, combine Panko and Parmesan; set aside

3) Working in batches, dredge zucchini rounds in flour, dip into eggs, then dredge in Panko mixture, pressing to coat

4) Add zucchini rounds to the skillet, 5-6 at a time, and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 1 minute on each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate

5) Serve immediately

https://damndelicious.net/2014/02/24/zucchini-parmesan-crisps/