Did you know adults need vaccines too?

Parents know that children need a series of 14 vaccines by age 2, but many adults need vaccines too.  Unfortunately, it’s a common assumption that after childhood vaccinations, adults never need them again.  For some adults this may be true, but for many people, it’s not.  As people age, newer vaccines become available, immunity can diminish over time and they become more susceptible to common infections, such as flu and pneumonia, which can case serious health problems.  For these reasons, adults should discuss the need for vaccines with their doctors, especially if immunization records are lost.

Vaccines are also recommended for adults with lifestyles that put them at risk of spreading or being exposed to diseases, such as college students, health care workers and international travelers.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has created a quiz for people ages 11 and up to help determine the need for vaccines.  It includes questions about health status and lifestyle, such as:

1.  Do you have any of these diseases or medical conditions?

• Blood disorder (like anemia, leukemia, or sickle cell anemia)
• Cancer or cancer treatments
• Diabetes (also called sugar diabetes)
• Heart or lung disease
• Liver or kidney disease
• Weakened immune system (HIV/AIDS, cancer treatments)

2.  Are you a first-year college student who lives in a dormitory at college?

3. Do you work with patients in a nursing home, doctor’s office, hospital, or other health care setting?

Specific vaccines that adults ages 19 and up may need are listed below.  Click on each for more information about the vaccine.

• Chickenpox (varicella) vaccine
• Flu (influenza) vaccine
• Hepatitis A vaccine
• Hepatitis B vaccine
• Hib (Haemophilus Influenzae type b) vaccine
• Human Papillomavirus (HPV)  
• Meningococcal vaccine
• MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine
• Pneumonia (pneumococcal) vaccine
• Tetanus and diphtheria vaccine
• Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis vaccine
• Zoster (Shingles) Vaccine

Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant during flu season (November through March) should get the flu vaccine at the beginning of a flu season or at any time during pregnancy.  Women with egg allergies should discuss the flu vaccine with their doctor.  Pregnant women may also need the hepatitis B vaccine due to age or lifestyle.  Babies born to women with hepatitis B infection should be vaccinated at birth.  Pregnant women should not receive the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) or chicken pox vaccines until after delivery.

Always discuss your immunization needs with a health care provider because even when vaccines are recommended, you may not need a vaccine if:

• You’ve already had the recommended doses of a vaccine
• You’ve had a booster dose of the vaccine
• You’ve already had the disease for which the vaccine is to prevent, including measles or rubella, mumps, chicken pox, hepatitis A or B

Vaccines have reduced or eliminated some of the diseases that once killed or severely disabled people just a few generations ago, including polio and whooping cough.  And even though many people worry about vaccine safety, physicians generally recommend that children and adults be vaccinated according to age and health history.