Recommendations and Guidelines:
Adult Immunization Schedule
(Anyone over 18 years old)
Immunization Recommendations, United States - 2010
On This Page:
2010 Adult Schedule
Other versions can be viewed on the Schedules page
Adult Schedule 
[191 KB, 4 pages]- MMWR (text-only version) (.htm format)
- Printer-ready 8.5" x 11" in color [150 KB, 2 pages]
- Printer-ready 8.5" x 11" in black & white [165 KB, 2 pages]
- Printer-ready 11" x 17" in color [149 KB, 2 pages]
- Printer-ready 11" x 17" in black & white [164 KB, 2 pages]
- Easy format: Immunizations for adults
[60KB - 1 page]
(en español) [107KB - 1 page] Last updated April 2009 - Pocket size 6" x 4.5" versions (color, black & white)
- Interactive Tool: Adult Immunization Scheduler NEW January 25, 2010
- 2009 Spanish version removed on December 16, 2009. Consult NIPINFO@cdc.gov for status of 2010 Spanish version.
- Laminated versions for sale at IAC
Immunization Action Coalition 2010 versions NOT YET AVAILABLE - Download Shots 2010 to Palm/Pocket-PCs Handhelds
NEW RELEASE February 2010
Requirements and installation instructions for iPhone®, iTouch®, Blackberry Storm®, Palm Pre® or PC Palm OS® Handhelds and Pocket-PCs, license and disclaimer use, etc., can be found on the ImmunizationEd.org website. This is freeware software and is to be used at your own risk, courtesy of ImmunizationEd.org website.
Changes in the schedule since last version
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) annually reviews the recommended Adult Immunization Schedule to ensure that the schedule reflects current recommendations for the licensed vaccines. In October 2009, ACIP approved the Adult Immunization Schedule for 2010, which includes several changes. These changes were published in Morbitiy and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) on January 15, 2010, as Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule --- United States, 2010.
Changes
- ACIP recommended vaccination of females with either a bivalent papillomavirus vaccine (HPV2) or a quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV4).
- ACIP issued a permissive recommendation for use of HPV4 in males.
- Introductory sentences were added to the schedule's footnotes for measles, mumps, rubella, influenza, pneumococcal, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and meningococcal vaccines.
- Clarifications were made to the footnotes for measles, mumps, rubella, influenza, hepatitis A, meningococcal, and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccines.
- Schedule information was added to the hepatitis B vaccine footnote.
Why might some adults need vaccines?
Some adults incorrectly assume that the vaccines they received as children will protect them for the rest of their lives. Generally this is true, except that:
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Some adults were never vaccinated as children
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Newer vaccines were not available when some adults were children
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Immunity can begin to fade over time
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As we age, we become more susceptible to serious disease caused by common infections (e.g., flu, pneumococcus)
Consult the Adult Vaccine Preventable Diseases page to learn about each disease. It includes a short description, symptoms, complications, transmission, and whether or not you need the vaccine as an adult.
Adult Vaccination Screening Form
It can sometimes be difficult to understand or keep track of exactly which vaccines you need. Use the following form to help you understand what vaccines might be important for you. Questions on the form help you and your doctor decide which vaccines you need and when to get them. You can print the form, fill it out, and take it with you to the office the next time you see your doctor. The clinician's version of the form can be distributed and used in clinics and healthcare professionals' offices.
- Print version for general public [265KB - 6 page]
- Print version for clinicians [273KB - 6 pages]
- English text-only version for general public
(screen-reader device version)
Spanish text-only version for general public
(screen-reader device version) - English text-only version for clinicians (screen-reader device version)
Spanish text-only version for clinicians (screen-reader device version)
Adolescent and Adult Vaccine "Quiz"
Vaccines are important for adult and adolescents as well as children. Vaccine recommendations for adolescents and adults are based on a variety of factors including age, overall health status, and medical history.
To help you understand what vaccines you might need, you can complete the Adolescent and Adult Vaccine Quiz online. Then print your results and discuss them with your doctor or healthcare professional next time you make an office visit. Take the quiz. UPDATED January 2010
Past Adult Immunization Schedules
Related Topics
- Summary of Recommendations for Adult Immunization [122KB - 3 pages] Updated Sept. 2009
- Healthcare Personnel Vaccination Recommendations [68KB - 1 page]
- Vaccines currently experiencing delays in delivery or shortages
- Vaccines for children (childhood immunization schedule)
- Additional info about adolescent and adult vaccines
- Vaccines for teens
- Vaccine information statements (VISs)
- Health information & vaccines for travelers
- Blank vaccine record forms (one for adults and one for children)
- History of the vaccine schedule
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This page last modified on February 2, 2010
Content last reviewed on January 20, 2010
Content Source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases