“Vaccines and antibiotics have made many infectious diseases a thing of the past; we’ve come to expect that public health and modern science can conquer all microbes. But nature is a formidable adversary.” — Tom Frieden

Well, we all know the importance of vaccinating our children. Starting from BCG and polio vaccines at birth , to all of the gamut of vaccines upto 10 years of age. But we tend to forget the importance of adult vaccination in our daily practice. And as family physicians, it’s a bigger duty, since we practice preventive medicine in the real sense.

Keeping this need in mind, we AFPI Karnataka ,organised a CME on the occasion of National Doctor’s Day , in collaboration with RxDx Healthcare, a well established chain of primary care clinics, in Bangalore. The program was co organised by Dr Shalini Chandan, Scientific Head AFPI- KA and Dr Jyotika Gupta, Media Head – AFPI – KA.The program included presentations and a panel discussion, covering all adult vaccinations.

Dr Belliappa C M, a practicing GP, kick started the session and introduced us to the new kid in the block, the shingles vaccine. It was followed by a talk on the one vaccine, which can prevent cancer, and that is, the HPV vaccine,by Dr Vijaya Vathsa, practicising physician. A fruitful interaction followed, and the sessions were chaired by Col(Dr) Mohan Kubendra.

Next, Dr Akshaya N, specialist family physician, spoke about the schedule and side effects of the tetanus and rabies vaccinations. Dr Venkatesh, Consultant Family Physician, presented about the importance of Travel vaccination, which has come of importance in the recent past, with increase in travel and study outside of own country. These sessions were chaired by Dr Roshni JhanGanguly, a senior FP and an an active member with the MRCGP board.

Next, Dr Aarthi Doss, gave us a full description of the National Immunisation Schedule and UIP, for children. This session was chaired by Dr Gurmeet Bhalla, a paediatrician from RxDx.

The CME ended with a lovely panel discussion, moderated by Dr Siddharth Hooli, a GP, on flu and pneumoccal vaccines. Dr Jyotika Gupta (FP), Dr Uma (FP) and Dr Sachin Kumar ( Pulmonologist) were the panellists and discussed about the importance and the detailed schedule of these two vaccinations, keeping in mind the prevalence of influenza and pneumonia, in our country, especially in co morbid patients. It was a very interactive discussion with active participation from the audience giving tips from their own practices.   

Dr Sowmya B Ramesh, Vice President, AFPI- KA proposed the vote of thanks, and then we all proceeded for a sumptuous lunch. All in all, it was an enlightening session about the importance of adult vaccination, not just in patients with co morbidities, but in normal individuals too.

Dr Jyotika Gupta 
Consultant Family Physician 
Media head- AFPI Karnataka 
National Secretary, The Spice Route India- AFPI