Vaccines have vaulted to the forefront of importance and public awareness over the last two years of the coronavirus pandemic. Recent researched showed that vaccines prevented 19.8 million deaths from COVID-19 in their first year. The ever-evolving omicron sub-variants have chipped away at vaccine effectiveness against infection, but the original vaccine recipe maintains its key goal of preventing severe disease and hospitalization.
We are also facing the rapid global spread of the monkeypox virus. The CDC has reported more than 5,000 infections in the U.S., the most of any country in the world. The window to eliminate this virus from the U.S. is rapidly closing. If we fail to act quickly, monkeypox could become another endemic virus in this country.
The CDC estimates that approximately 1.6 million gay and bisexual men in the U.S. are high-risk for monkeypox infection (though anyone can contract it) and eligible for vaccination. But even with current shipments of the two-dose Jynneos vaccine, that still leaves about 1 million vulnerable until the next round of doses arrives in October.
Given this new paradigm of multiple circulating infectious diseases, it is becoming increasingly critical for all Americans to better track their vaccine records and keep them up-to-date with CDC recommendations. A focus on vaccinations as an important part of our health record has also prompted a renewed interest in ensuring we are on track for other important vaccines as well.
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Start here: Obtain childhood immunization records
The first step is to obtain a baseline immunology report to see which standard childhood vaccines you had (or did not have).
Ask your parents or guardians if they have a written copy of which vaccines you got as a child. These would include standard immunizations such as MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) and Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis).
You can also check with your primary care doctor’s office (or pediatrician’s office, if possible) for your vaccine records. A lot of primary care doctor’s offices, particularly those affiliated with a larger network or academic medical center, now feature an electronic medical record where you can easily access all your health information. In a lot of cases, I find that patients are unaware they even have this access already set up for them.
Get a blood test to confirm, if needed
If neither of the above options yield results, you can ask your primary care doctor to check your antibodies via a blood test.
For some diseases, the simple presence of circulating antibodies is substantial. For others, a quantifiable level is necessary to maintain protection against infection. Your primary care doctor can help facilitate this process.
Stay up-to-date on vaccines
Based on this serology, your primary care doctor can get you up-to-date with a booster, even if you had your recommended childhood vaccinations, for example.
The CDC publishes an easy-to-read app that you can download to your smart phone or tablet that shows the recommended schedules for child, adolescent and adult vaccines recommended by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Built into the app are special circumstances, such as pregnancy, in which some immunizations are highly recommended and others are not.
Get organized with health technology
Numerous smart phone apps can verify and store your COVID-19 vaccines. This is particularly useful for international travel to countries requiring proof of vaccination or attending events when you don’t want to carry your paper card.
I prefer the Health app on the iPhone or the Google version on Android devices, which allows you to link your electronic medical record and stores your updated vaccine information under an “immunizations” tab. Although you cannot add specific vaccine categories to the app itself, you can keep your electronic medical record updated by telling your primary care doctor which vaccines you’ve gotten recently (outside of their office) or you can add them in yourself. This information will then flow to your Health app.
For those of you who do not have a primary care doctor, please sign up with one. Most insurance plans have a number on the back of the card to call or a website where you can search for a doctor by zip code. Not only is it important to follow-up with your primary care doctor for immunizations, they also help keep you on track for recommended screening tests for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer as well as monitoring of blood pressure and cholesterol.
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Michael Daignault, MD, is a board-certified ER doctor in Los Angeles. He studied Global Health at Georgetown University and has a Medical Degree from Ben-Gurion University. He completed his residency training in emergency medicine at Lincoln Medical Center in the South Bronx. He is also a former United States Peace Corps Volunteer. Find him on Instagram @dr.daignault
