If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, a vaccination means that you might never need a doctor; at least for that particular disease. One of my earliest memories was being asked to suck on a sugar lump by the school nurse; in retrospect, I was being vaccinated against polio. It is the ultimate epitome of the adage ‘prevention is better than cure’. We live in a world where we can avoid getting diseases. If we lived even 100 years ago, many of us would have died, or become seriously ill, from diseases that we have barely heard of in modern times.
Obviously, as your doctor, I want you to avoid becoming unwell. Vaccinations are the best way to avoid a variety of diseases which may make you very poorly, and I can offer ones which are not routinely available on the NHS.
It helps to really understand what a vaccine is; it is a type of medicine that trains the body’s immune system so that it can fight a disease it has not come into contact with before. Vaccines are designed to prevent disease, rather than treat a disease once you have caught it.
Even in recent years, we’ve seen significant developments in the field of vaccinations. We can now offer vaccines for HPV which is responsible for 90% of cervical cancers and 5% of all cancers worldwide. Within a few generations, we should see cervical cancer eradicated. It’s an amazing advancement.
As a private GP, I can offer vaccines which are not routinely available on the NHS for you, and your children.
It’s a strange fact that the UK is one of the few so-called ‘developed nations’ who do not offer vaccinations against chicken pox. For those of us who have children, we will have seen them covered in spots, scratching and crying, and hoping that the scratches don’t leave life-long scars. Instead, I can offer chicken pox vaccinations for your children so they never have to experience the pain of chickenpox, and you don’t have the worry.
I can offer shingles vaccinations for people who wish to avoid the discomfort and pain of a shingles attack. If you’ve had shingles once, and you don’t want to experience it again, the shingles vaccination will work so you’ll never have to worry about it again.
I can also give certain Meningitis vaccinations for your children. I remember the fear of seeing the ‘red rash’ under a glass on my child, even as a doctor, it’s terrifying. I can give a simple injection for Meningitis B.
I can also provide the full remit of travel vaccinations for personal or business travelers.
Please do ask me about the vaccinations I can offer; you may be surprised about the number of diseases you will never have to worry about again.
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