Daily HealthBeat Tip

The shot that helps kids, helps Gramps

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I�m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Kids are social, and germs are communicable � and when you put them together, things get spread around.

But there is a new vaccine for one type of bacteria, called pneumococcus. When kids take it, the chance that they�ll pass these bacteria to someone else goes down.

Researcher Catherine Lexau of the Minnesota Health Department:

"What�s really exciting about this new children�s vaccine is that it�s reducing serious infections for young children. But then in addition, we�re seeing these major reductions in serious pneumoccocal infection in older adults." (13 seconds)

People ages 65 and older also should get vaccinated. But having kids protected seems to help, too.

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: December 27, 2005

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