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Do Vaccines Last?

Reviewed By: Louise Chang,

SOURCES: 2008 Medical Reference from Medstar Television. Mark Slifka, PhD, Researcher, Vaccine Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR.

© 1999-2011 Medstar Television

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Narrator:

Matthew Lewis is a med student who's had to be vaccinated against some pretty exotic diseases.

Matthew Lewis:

Yellow fever and the smallpox were both because of exposures I had in the lab.

Narrator:

He's also had some common booster shots.

Matthew Lewis:

The tetanus was for a nail that I got driven into my hand.

Narrator:

After routine immunizations as children, grown-ups are supposed to get a tetanus booster every ten years. Now that practice is raising questions.

Mark Slifka, Ph.D.:

This is without knowing really how long immunity is maintained after these initial booster shots and so the question is why every ten years do you get a booster shot?

Narrator:

Researchers at Oregon Health and Science University are checking blood samples for antibodies to see how long immunity lasts after a vaccination.

Mark Slifka, Ph.D.:

Tetanus and diphtheria are ones that we were able to look at the most closely and we're hoping to look at other vaccines as well.

Narrator:

So far, the findings suggest that adults may be over-vaccinated. For example, immunity after a tetanus booster can last decades longer than once thought.

Mark Slifka, Ph.D.:

Maybe we need to reevaluate the vaccine schedule that we're using here in the US and maybe change it from once every ten years to once every 30 years.

Narrator:

Researchers say being over-vaccinated isn't harmful. It just may be unnecessary. The study could lead to a simple blood test to check your immunity.

Mark Slifka, Ph.D.:

Based on that individual information, we determine, yeah, it's time for your tetanus shot or, you know, you're fine for measles and mumps so you don't need any boosters in that respect.

Narrator:

It could be a real shot in the arm for more personalized medicine. For WebMD, I'm Damon Meharg.

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