Vaccine preventable diseases Flashcards
What is the NHS vaccination schedule for babies under 1 year old?
8 weeks:
- 6-in-1 vaccine
- Rotavirus vaccine
- MenB
12 weeks:
- 6-in-1 vaccine (2nd dose)
- Pneumococcal vaccine
- Rotavirus vaccine (2nd dose)
16 weeks:
- 6-in-1 vaccine (3rd dose)
- MenB (2nd dose)
What is the NHS vaccination schedule for
Children aged 1 to 15
What is the NHS vaccination schedule for adults and pregnant women?
What is the 6-in-1 vaccine?
-diphtheria
-hepatitis B
-Hib (Haemophilus Influenza type b)
-polio
-tetanus
-whooping cough (pertussis)
What are the features of Diphtheria?
- Early signs: mild fever, swollen neck glands, anorexia, malaise, cough
- 2-3 days: membrane of dead cells forms in the throat, tonsils, larynx or nose
- May narrow or occlude the airway leading to respiratory distress
What are the severe symptoms of Diphtheria?
*Toxin can travel through the bloodstream causing extensive organ damage, neurological and heart complications
*Death occurs in 5-10% of cases
*Milder infection can still occur in people who are partially vaccinated or were vaccinated a long time ago
What is Diptheria?
What is the mode of transmission of Diphtheria?
*Infectious respiratory disease caused by toxigenic strains of bacteria Corynebacterium diphtheriae or Corynebacterium ulcerans
*Transmitted via airborne droplets
*Bacteria infect the throat and sometimes the skin
*Incubation period from 2-7 days
*Patients with untreated disease may be infectious for up to four weeks
*Affects people of all ages - most serious in young infants and the elderly
Symptoms of Tetanus (Generalised)
Initially: muscle stiffness of the jaw (“Lockjaw”) in 50% of cases
Followed by: neck stiffness, difficulty swallowing, stiffness of stomach muscles, muscle spasms, sweating and fever
Complications Include;
* Fractures
* Hypertension
* Laryngospasm
* Pulmonary embolism
* Aspiration
* Death
Describe Neonatal Tetanus
*More frequent in developing countries
*Infant born without protective passive immunity
*Infection of the umbilical cord stump
*High fatality rate without therapy
What is the cause of Tetanus?
Describe the incubation period.
*Caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetani
*Non-communicable therefore vaccination is required for protection (no herd immunity)
*Bacteria form spores that can survive in the environment for years
*Tetanus may occur if a wound or cut is infected by soil or manure
*Incubation period 4-21 days
*Affects people of all ages
*People who recover from tetanus do not have natural immunity, therefore, need to be immunised
Symptoms of Pertussis
- Initially: cold-like symptoms -runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing, fever and a mild cough
- Followed by: a gradually worsening cough, which develops to paroxysms of coughing followed by a characteristic whoop
Describe Pertussis
*Disease of the respiratory tract caused by Bordatella pertussis
*Spread easily from person to person in droplets produced by coughing or sneezing
*Most dangerous in children under 1 year, most severe in young infants
*Incubation period 6-20 days with a range of 4 - 21 days
*Infectious from 6 days after exposure to 3 weeks after onset of cough
*Duration of illness can be 2-3 months
Describe Paralytic Polio
- Less than 1% of all polio infections result in flaccid paralysis
- Paralysis develops within 1-10 days after prodromal illness and progresses for 2-3 days
- The use of one or both arms or legs may be lost and breathing may not be possible without
the help of a respirator.
The degree of recovery varies from person to person
Describe the Polio virus
*Three types - I, II, & III
*Virus enters via the mouth
*Replicates in the pharynx and GI tract
*Invades local lymph tissue
*Enters blood stream and may infect cells of the central nervous system causing aseptic meningitis
*More rarely replicates in and destroys the motor neurones which activate the muscles (~1:100 infections)
Describe the dynamics of Poliomyelitis
*Transmitted through contact with the faeces or pharyngeal secretions of an infected person
*Incubation period: ranges from 3 – 21 days
*Infectiousness: not precise but transmission is possible as long as the virus is excreted
*Virus can be excreted for up to six weeks in the faeces and two weeks in saliva
*Most infectious immediately before and 1-2 weeks after the onset of paralytic disease