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American Morning

Are Americans Doing Enough to Protect Themselves from Deadly Diseases?

Aired August 01, 2001 - 11:38   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DONNA KELLEY, CBS ANCHOR: A panel of experts is asking a critical questions: Are Americans doing enough to protect themselves from deadly diseases, potentially deadly diseases? The group raising a number of issues here, ranging need to improve vaccination efforts, to the challenges that are facing vaccine programs.

And joining us now is David Neumann of the National Partnership for Immunization.

Mr. Neumann, hello, glad you could talk with us.

DAVID NEUMANN, NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP FOR IMMUNIZATION: Good morning. And thank you for inviting me in this morning.

KELLEY: You bet.

What diseases are we talking about? What could cause trouble?

NEUMANN: I'm sorry, I missed the start of your question.

KELLEY: What diseases are we talking about that could potentially cause trouble for Americans.

NEUMANN: We're talking about all of the vaccine preventable diseases. There are 10 diseases in this country that are threatening to various segments of our society. They're infants or children, adolescents or adults. All of these are diseases that have considerable importance for us. We do have vaccines that can prevent the pain and suffering, and even death that these diseases can cause, and we think that there's an urgent need to make sure everyone in the U.S. is aware of the need to be immunized against these diseases.

KELLEY: OK, can you tell us what some of those 10 are?

NEUMANN: Yes. They're diphtheria, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella, pneumococcal disease, influenza, meningococcal disease, just a whole host of common diseases that were very prevalent in this country over the last 100, 150 years. In the age of vaccines, they've sort of disappeared from the radar screen. Yet many Americans are vulnerable because they are not adequately immunized, or they travel internationally and are exposed to these infectious agents oversees and bring back here, where other people who are not immunized also become vulnerable. KELLEY: Yes, travel can a problem. And a lot of those shots that you mentioned for those diseases, you are supposed to get those shots, you know,even as infant, and many people don't. So what should people do? You should of course get your children done? And if you're older, maybe you checkup and get boosters?

NEUMANN: Well, you should checkup. Tetanus is a good example. Most of us had our last tetanus shot when we are 10 or 12 years old or going away to summer camp. We need to have a booster every 10 years. Now this year, there is a shortage of the tetanus toxoid that is part of that vaccine. Hence people are encouraged to recognize that they need the booster and arrange to get the booster, see their physician next year, in the next six to 12 months, or as the vaccine becomes available.

There's also the influenza vaccine, which people at high risks. That is people with chronic health conditions, chronic heart disease, chronic lung disease, and who are particularly susceptible to the complications of an infection should be getting their vaccines against flu in September, October. The healthy population should delay their immunization against flu until November and even December.

KELLEY: All right, David Neumann, of the National Partnership for Immunization, thanks so much for coming in and talking with us, telling us about this.

NEUMANN: All right, well, thanks very much.

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