michelle simeon's Profile

Antidepressant/SSRI




Antidepressants fall into several groups including the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor or SSRI group.






• Fluoxetine hydrochloride
• Prozac
• Sarafem
• Lithium
• Cibalith
• Eskalith
• Lithane
• Lithonate

Diphtheria vaccine

The diphtheria vaccine is contained in a preparation called "DTaP" (the "D" in DTaP stands for diphtheria). DTaP vaccine is given as a series of five shots, at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 15 to 18 months, and again at 4 to 6 years of age.

What is diphtheria?

The dangers associated with diphtheria come from the toxin released by the bacterium, Corynebacterium diphtheriae. The toxin makes it difficult for children to breathe and swallow, but it also attacks the heart, kidneys and nerves.



Incidence of diphtheria

In the 1920s, diphtheria was a common cause of death in children and adolescents. At its peak, about 150,000 cases of diphtheria occurred in the United States every year! The diphtheria vaccine, first used in the United States in the early 1940s, has virtually eliminated the disease. Now we see fewer than two cases a year.



Countries in Eastern Europe, especially Russia, suffered severe outbreaks of diphtheria in the mid-1990s. The outbreaks have coincided with a noticeable drop in immunization rates.

Tdap

The new vaccine, called Tdap, is different from the DTaP vaccine currently given to babies and young children. Tdap contains lesser quantities of diphtheria and pertussis proteins; for this reason, Tdap is much less likely than DTaP to cause side effects such as pain, redness and tenderness in adolescents.

The Tdap vaccine is currently recommended for all adolescents 11 and 12 years of age, healthcare workers, and 19-64-year-olds in place of their next Td booster vaccine.