Adults Need Immunizations, Too
Your need for immunizations doesn't end when you reach adulthood. Maintain protection against vaccine-preventable diseases for your health and for your family's health. Be the example!
Immunizations are NOT just for kids! Whether a young adult, middle-aged adult, or senior citizen, we ALL need immunizations to keep us healthy. Transitioning to adulthood brings us into a new world, bringing a different level of responsibility that we carry for life, including the need to help protect our loved ones more than ever.
Do You Need Any Vaccines?
The specific immunizations you need as an adult are determined by factors such as your age, lifestyle, high-risk conditions, type and locations of travel, and previous immunizations. Throughout your adult life, you need immunizations to get and maintain protection against:
- Seasonal influenza (flu) (In general, anyone who is 6 months or older can benefit from the protection of a flu vaccination.)
- 2009 H1N1 influenza (for adults 25-64 years old with high risk conditions; parents and caretakers of children younger than 6 months of age; and emergency medical services personnel) Initial doses are expected to be available by mid-October.
- Tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough) (for adults up to 64 years, one lifetime dose)
- Shingles (for adults 60 years and older)
- Pneumococcal disease (for adults 65 years and older and adults with specific health conditions)
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection (for women 26 years and younger)
Other vaccinations you may need include those that protect against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, chickenpox (varicella), and measles, mumps and rubella.
Note that the seasonal flu vaccine does not protect against the 2009 H1N1 flu. A new vaccine against 2009 H1N1 flu is being produced and will be available in the coming months as the best option for prevention of 2009 H1N1 infection.
Review the Adult Immunization Schedule (also available in Spanish) to see if you need any immunizations. Be sure to check this schedule for updates as new vaccines are developed for additional protection. The most recent addition to the schedule is the shingles vaccine for those 60 years and older.
For additional information on vaccines and immunizations, visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines/.
Are You an Advocate for Your Family?
Your need for immunizations does not end when you reach adulthood. In fact, the need for immunization remains just as strong as when we were vulnerable children. As adults, we must continue to maintain our own health because we are also affecting the health of our families by teaching them how to care for themselves.
Accept responsibility by encouraging other adults in your family to check with their doctors for immunizations they may need to enable and maintain protection against vaccine-preventable diseases. Childhood vaccinations will not protect you for the rest of your life.
Be the Example!
Flu season is here. Remind your family, friends, co-workers, and those in the community to get vaccinated each year against seasonal influenza. If they are up-to-date on all of their vaccinations, they protect themselves and those around them, especially babies too young to be vaccinated.
Resources
- Adolescent and Adult Quiz: What Vaccines Do YOU Need?
- Adult Immunization Schedule
- Adult Vaccination Screening Form
- Be an advocate for your friends and family:
- CDC's Vaccines & Immunizations website
- AdultVaccination.org
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