DR. BRYAN CEPEDOZA
FOR AUGUST 20, 2023
A Question & Answer Session
on Pneumonia with
Dr. Bryan Cepedoza
(Part 3)
The Bohol Tribune (TBT): Good afternoon, Dr.
Bryan. Last week you gave us a definition of
Pneumococcal Vaccines. You said that these are
vaccines against the bacterium Streptococcus
pneumoniae. You also said that we can find this
definition from different sources and journals. The
use of these vaccines, according to you, can prevent
some cases of pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis.
You further said that there are two types of
pneumococcal vaccines: conjugate vaccines and
polysaccharide vaccines. This is as far as medical
studies are concerned, according to you.
Dr. Bryan Cepedoza (Dr. Bryan): Yes, I said those
TBT: Here is another question. Isn’t it that
when one is injected with a vaccine, the usual
effect is fever on the part of the person who is
vaccinated? Will the fever not increase and will
this not be dangerous especially to a person
who is on dialysis?
Dr. Bryan: Kining vaccine, antigen man ni siya.
Now, what are antigens? Medical books will say that
an antigen is “any substance that causes your
immune system to produce antibodies against it.” As
soon as this is injected into your body, your immune
system will definitely react to what is injected. The
immune system will lead to the production of
antibodies and this is why the person will develop
fever. Therefore, there is nothing to worry about
fever after the vaccination. This means that the body
is reacting to the vaccine.
TBT: So it is not right to say that if a person is
on dialysis, he has to refuse vaccination
otherwise, he will develop fever which would be
hazardous to his health as a dialysis patient?
Dr. Bryan: We should never refuse vaccination. A
dialysis patient should never refuse vaccination. In
fact, if somebody is on dialysis, the more he should
undergo vaccination. By the way, a dialysis patient
may have some excess of water inside the body that
could lead to pulmonary edema. What is pulmonary
edema? Pulmonary edema is an abnormal build up
of fluid in the lungs. This buildup of fluid leads to
shortness of breath. We learned in our studies that
patients who experience pulmonary edema may
struggle to breathe and may feel like being
suffocated. We have to know that pulmonary edema
that suddenly develops should be considered a
medical emergency. As such it needs immediate
medical attention. (To be continued)