Vaccinations are NECESSARY for excellent gay male health

Recently, there has been a growing level of misinformation regarding vaccines. But, we KNOW vaccinations are necessary for excellent gay male health.

Throughout this site, we at GMJ will continue to explore the various ways you can achieve and maintain a happy and successful life. This includes vaccinations and regular STD testing. These shots, which some of you may have received as a kid, can be the difference between a fun-filled night on the town, a stay at the hospital, or a prolonged treatment regimen. Suppose you haven’t received some of these immunizations. The window of opportunity might have passed, depending on your age and sexual activity.

How Vaccinations Work

• Immune System Training: Vaccines contain a weakened or inactive version of a germ, or components of it, which are introduced to the body. 
• Immune Response: Your immune system recognizes these components and develops antibodies and memory cells to fight the infection if it encounters the actual disease in the future. 
• Protection: This process creates an acquired immunity, preventing the person from getting sick or significantly reducing the severity of the illness. 

Benefits of Vaccination

• Disease Prevention: Vaccines prevent many serious and potentially deadly diseases, including chickenpox, measles, tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis. 
• Public Health: Widespread vaccination creates “community immunity” or “herd immunity,” which protects vulnerable individuals who cannot be vaccinated, such as infants or those with weakened immune systems. 
• Reduced Deaths: Vaccination is estimated to prevent millions of deaths worldwide each year. 

Let’s first review the STD testing list.

HIV: The granddaddy of them all. I’m sure we don’t need to discuss why, but the schedule should be at least three (3) times a year for sexually active gay males. The CDC only recommends once a year, but during that time, you might not only have a very high viral load but also infect others.

Syphilis/Chlamydia/Gonorrhea/Herpes: All should be done three (3) times yearly, preferably at the same time.

Hep C: This is a particular case. Many doctors will not automatically perform this test unless you are at high risk, including drug users and those who are into fisting. If this is you, you know what to do.

If you haven’t received the Hep A & B vaccinations, you should be tested for other STDs, and if you are found to be negative, get the shots as soon as possible. This panel consists of:

• For lasting protection, the hepatitis A vaccine should be given in two doses at least six months apart.
• A series of three doses of the Hepatitis B vaccine provides long-lasting protection.
• There is also a combination vaccine for both Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B, which is typically administered in three doses to provide lasting protection.

The HPV vaccine is the only dependent upon age and sexual activity. The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is available for gay men up to 26 years of age to prevent genital warts and other HPV-associated diseases and conditions, such as oropharyngeal or anal cancer. The HPV vaccine is administered as a three-dose series over a period of six months. It is best to be vaccinated before your first sexual contact, but later vaccination can still protect you if you have not been exposed to HPV. (Note: Most American doctors will not provide this vaccine if you are over 26 and sexually active unless you demand it and pay for it. They are not convinced of the benefits as no studies have confirmed.)

We also want to include the meningitis vaccine to your list. We discuss this illness further on the site.

Mpox/Monkey Pox

The disease is usually caught from an infected animal if a person is bitten or comes into contact with its blood or other bodily fluids. They consume or come into contact with infected animal products, such as meat, skin, or fur.

Transmission between humans mainly occurs through large respiratory droplets. As droplets cannot travel far, prolonged face-to-face contact is needed. The virus can also enter the body through bodily fluids, lesion material, or indirect contact with lesion material, such as through contaminated clothing or linens.

The most effective prevention method to date has been vaccinations. Those under 45 are more at risk for Monkeypox because most of us did not receive the Smallpox vaccination that older generations did.

“One vaccine, JYNNEOS^TM (also known as Imvamune or Imvanex), has been licensed in the United States to prevent Monkeypox and smallpox. Because the monkeypox virus is closely related to the virus that causes smallpox, the smallpox vaccine can also protect people from getting Monkeypox. Past data from Africa suggests that the smallpox vaccine is at least 85% effective in preventing Monkeypox.

If you are living with HIV and or over the age of 50, we also recommend the following vaccinations in addition to those already mentioned.

Pneumococcal (pneumonia)

CDC recommends pneumococcal vaccination for adults 50 years or older.

The United States uses 2 types of pneumococcal vaccines. Each vaccine helps protect against different serotypes of pneumococcal bacteria.

• Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs)
  • PCV15
  • PCV20
  • PCV21
• Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine
  • PPSV23

Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough).

A single vaccine, Tdap, protects adolescents and adults against these three diseases.

Pertussis (whooping cough)

Whooping cough is a respiratory illness caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. The disease is only found in humans.

Whooping cough bacteria attach to the cilia (tiny, hair-like extensions) that line the upper respiratory tract. The bacteria release toxins (poisons), which damage the cilia and cause the airways to swell.

It usually takes 5 to 10 days for symptoms to appear after exposure to the bacteria that cause whooping cough. Sometimes symptoms don’t develop for as long as 3 weeks.

Appears like a common cold

Whooping cough appears similar to a common cold early on. Healthcare providers often don’t suspect or diagnose it until more severe symptoms appear.

Early symptoms can last for 1 to 2 weeks and usually include:

• Runny or stuffed-up nose
• Low-grade fever (less than 100.4°F)
• Mild, occasional cough

Rapid, violent, and uncontrolled coughing fits

One to 2 weeks after the first symptoms start, people may develop paroxysms, known as coughing fits. These coughing fits usually last 1 to 6 weeks, but can last for up to 10 weeks. The cough generally gets worse and becomes more common as the illness continues.

Coughing fits can cause people to

• Make a high-pitched “whoop” when they inhale after a coughing fit
• Vomit during or after coughing fits
• Feel very tired after the fit, but usually seem well in-between fits
• Have difficulty sleeping at night
• Struggle to breathe
• Fracture (break) a rib

Those who get these coughing fits say it’s the worst cough of their lives.

Tetanus

Tetanus is an infection caused by bacteria called Clostridium tetani (C. tetani), which are found in the environment. Tetanus is a rare but severe disease that requires immediate hospital treatment.

Symptoms typically occur between 3 and 21 days (average 8 days) after someone is exposed to C. tetani.

The first sign is most commonly spasms of the jaw muscles, or “lockjaw.”

Other symptoms can include:

• Trouble swallowing
• Sudden, involuntary muscle spasms — often in the stomach
• Painful muscle stiffness all over the body
• Seizures (jerking or staring)
• Headache
• Fever and sweating
• Changes in blood pressure and heart rate

Tetanus can cause serious health problems, including:

• Laryngospasm (uncontrolled tightening of the vocal cords)
• Fracture (broken bone)
• Pulmonary embolism (blockage in lungs caused by a blood clot)
• Aspiration pneumonia (lung infection from inhaling spit or vomit)
• Breathing difficulty

Tetanus can lead to death (1 in 10 cases in the United States are fatal).

Diphtheria

The most common and serious type of diphtheria occurs when toxin-producing C. diphtheriae infect the upper respiratory tract (nose, throat). When this happens, it’s called respiratory diphtheria.

The most common symptoms of respiratory diphtheria include:

• Mild fever
• Pseudomembrane in the nose or throat
• Sore throat
• Swollen glands in the neck
• Weakness 

Skin infections

C. diphtheriae can also infect the skin and other body parts. Cutaneous (skin infection) diphtheria is when bacteria that make diphtheria toxin infect the skin.

Symptoms of diphtheria skin infections can include:

• Open sore or ulcer with a clear edge
• Pain
• Rash with scales or peeling skin
• Redness
• Swelling

Shingles

Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. Shingles can occur anywhere on your body. It typically looks like a single stripe of blisters that wraps around the left side or the right side of your torso.

Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus — the same virus that causes chickenpox. After you’ve had chickenpox, the virus stays in your body for the rest of your life. Years later, the virus may reactivate as shingles.

Shingles isn’t life-threatening. But it can be very painful. Vaccines can help lower the risk of shingles. Early treatment may shorten a shingles infection and lessen the chance of complications. The most common complication is postherpetic neuralgia. This is a painful condition that causes shingles pain for a long time after your blisters have cleared.

Shingles symptoms usually affect only a small section on one side of your body. These symptoms may include:

• Pain, burning or tingling
• Sensitivity to touch
• A red rash that begins a few days after the pain
• Fluid-filled blisters that break open and crust over
• Itching

Some people also experience:

• Fever
• Headache
• Sensitivity to light
• Fatigue

CDC recommends 2 doses of Shingrix separated by 2–6 months for immunocompetent adults aged 50 years and older:

• Whether or not they report a prior episode of herpes zoster.
• Whether or not they report a prior dose of Zostavax, a shingles vaccine that is no longer available for use in the United States.
• It’s not necessary to screen, either verbally or by laboratory serology, for evidence of prior varicella infection.

Finally, there is the annual flu shot.

Several flu vaccines are available each season. These include:

• injectable flu vaccines, or flu shots. These include:
  • Flu shots that are made with inactivated influenza viruses.
  • One flu shot that is made without influenza viruses.
• A live attenuated influenza vaccine, which is given by nasal spray.

Everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine every season, with rare exceptions. Vaccination is vital for people who are at higher risk of serious complications from influenza.

Flu vaccination has significant benefits. It can reduce flu illnesses, visits to doctors’ offices, and missed work and school due to flu, as well as make symptoms less severe and reduce flu-related hospitalizations and deaths in people who get vaccinated but still get sick.

These vaccines should keep you up and running for the basics of your sexual and general life.

Tags: chlamydia, flu, gay male vaccinations, gonorrhea, Hep A, Hep b, HEP C, herpes, HIV, HPV, immunizations, shots, Syphilis, vaccinations, vaccines