By DARLENE PRINCE

prince@crescent-news.com

Any adults who think they are way past the age of having to get a vaccine for a childhood disease are due for a surprise.

The Centers for Disease Control is recommending that teen-agers and adults get the Tdap vaccine that combines whooping cough, tetanus and diphtheria protection.

Two other vaccines are also recommended for adults.

One is for shingles, which is a painful nerve inflammation caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox. This vaccine is given to older adults because shingles usually strikes a person in their 60s or older.

The other vaccine is to protect teen-agers and young women from the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted disease that causes cervical cancer.

Whooping cough is making a comeback in older teens and adults who received vaccinations when they were children.

All of these vaccines for adults are available at the Defiance County Health Department, said Laura Coressel, director of nursing. "We have not had any cases recently in Defiance County of whooping cough, but we do have that vaccine," she said, adding that the vaccination will also protect against tetanus and diphtheria.

The cost is $9, but since the vaccine is supplied by the state health department, only certain people who have constant contact with young children can get the vaccine. This includes daycare workers, health care workers, grandparents who baby-sit young children, etc.

Whooping cough can be deadly to young children, so limiting exposure to adults who may be carrying it is important.

The shingles vaccine is more expensive, costing $159 at the Defiance health department.

Shingles is considered to be one of the most painful afflictions to be endured. It is caused by the varicella zoster virus that comes back in someone who has had chicken pox. The virus travels down nerve cells to the skin where it usually causes a one-sided rash on the face or trunk of the body.

Chronic and very painful, the disease can cause long-term effects with pain lasting anywhere from four to six months.

While the vaccine is not 100 percent effective, it can reduce the risk of getting shingles by 50 percent. It also reduces pain intensity and lowers the risk of long-term pain by two-thirds.

Coressel noted that a person who has had shingles can get it again. She said a fair number of people have come in for the vaccine.

The third vaccine recommended by the CDC and many medical professionals is the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine, which will protect a young woman or teen-ager against most forms of cervical cancer.

There has been some controversy, particularly among parents, over giving this vaccine to young teens. And, the vaccine is expensive since the series of three shots over a six-month period costs $130 per shot at the Defiance health department.

"We have had quite a few young women come in for this vaccine," Coressel said.

At the Paulding County Health Department, director of nursing Judy Fisher said, "We carry all of those vaccines. The shingles vaccine costs $161 and quite a few people have gotten the vaccine. They have seen the results of people who have had shingles and decided to get the vaccine. It is for people over 60.

"We have not had many people getting the HPV vaccine because of the cost," she said. "Our cost is $128 per shot and there are three shots.

"As for the Tdap (whooping cough, tetanus, diphtheria), it is $41 for adults so it is a little more expensive. The cost is $7 for children from 11 through 18 years old. There is no cost for people on Medicaid. Then the cost goes to $41 for 19 years old and older. But, we still have quite a few who get just the combination tetanus-diphtheria shot at $7."