Oliver Schmider, principal of the Erich-Bracher-Schule, welcomed the numerous experts
and students from the three twelfth grade classes of the business high school.
Catrin Denz, Deputy Headmistress, and teacher Christina Steinhauser
are in charge of the project at the school.
Dr. Uschi Traub, Head of Health Promotion at the Health Department of the District Office
Ludwigsburg, explained why the topic of vaccination is very important for vocational school students:
Young people are particularly at risk as they are reluctant to go to the doctor, often go on last-minute backpacking and
trips and their childhood vaccinations are often no longer sufficient without a
booster. They are also often professionally exposed. "It's time to think about
diseases other than coronavirus," says the doctor.
Filiz Ugur from the health promotion department emphasized the importance of "vaccination protection in your luggage"
when going on vacation or on a school exchange. Dangers ranging from rabies to meningitis,
but also mosquito-borne infections such as malaria and Japanese encephalitis
lurk in various countries. Qualified travel medical advice is highly recommended six
to twelve weeks before the trip. "The vaccinations depend on the type of
trip (whether backpacking or a business trip in a five-star hotel), duration of the trip, destination countries
etc.," emphasizes Ugur.
Dr. Karin Laudien, Deputy Chairwoman of the Board at Krebsverband Baden-
Württemberg e.V., explained how the risk of various types of cancer such as cervical cancer,
anal cancer, penile cancer and vaginal cancer can be reduced by vaccination against human papillomavirus
(HPV). The risk of liver cancer can be indirectly reduced by the hepatitis
B vaccination. One fifth of all cancers are caused by viruses and
bacteria.
Pediatrician Dr. Jeanette Küper from the Department of Health explained why
childhood diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox are the underestimated danger for
young adults and what serious complications they can have. She advises:
"Don`t Wait - Vaccinate!" ("Don't wait - get vaccinated!").
Dr. Rainer Oehme, tick expert from the Baden-Württemberg State Health Office,
introduced the audience to the world of ticks and discussed two tick-borne diseases
- TBE (tick-borne encephalitis) and Lyme disease. There is a vaccination against TBE, but no treatment, and there is a treatment for Lyme disease, but no vaccination.
The experts were asked questions such as "Isn't it too stressful for the body if it receives too many vaccinations at once?", "What does someone do if they have lost their vaccination card?", "Can ticks transmit HIV?" Here are some of the answers: Multiple vaccinations are not harmful; however, if you want to avoid them, you should always keep your vaccinations up to date and come for a travel medical consultation in good time. Doctors must store medical records for at least ten years. If the vaccination was given longer ago, it is not always possible to prove it. It is possible to measure antibodies in the blood for some vaccinations. An "over-vaccination" is also unproblematic, apart from possible local reactions. Every vaccination counts, the vaccination series does not have to be restarted, even if the last vaccination was a long time ago. With the increased migration to Germany, long-forgotten infections, e.g. diphtheria from Ukraine, can become a problem again.
If you have any questions on this topic, please contact Dr. Uschi Traub or Emma Bröcher on 07141 144-2520, email: gesundheitsförderung@landkreis-ludwigsburg.de.
