Prevention Means Vaccination: Why Adults Need Vaccinations

Vaccinations aren't just for kids. Grown-ups need them, too. While we often think of vaccinations as being for teary-eyed kids at the doctor’s office or flu clinic. There are important reasons why adults should also get their vaccinations regularly.

In the past the vaccinations for adults appeared mainly to be limited to when we were exposed to high-risk medical conditions or when we were about to travel to high risk areas of the world.

Many people believe that as they get older they no longer need immunizations, as one patient recently old to me, “Immunizations are for kids, I see no reason why I would have to worry about mumps, measles, chicken pox, or the other children’s illnesses!”

There are however, several problems with this approach.

The largest problem is that there are a number of “adult” illnesses that we really should be protected  from. For example, illnesses such as flu, Hepatitis A and B, and pneumococcal pneumonia are just a few. Every year when seasonal influenza makes its appearance here in the United States, it is serious enough to kill some 40,000 to 50,000 people. How many of these people might not have not died had they been properly immunized against the flu? While this number is still unknown,  estimates suggest that a large percentage would have been saved. Even though the flu vaccine might not entirely stop you from getting the flu, it might make it less severe, and be enough to keep you from getting secondary pneumonia which is the most common reason for dying from the flu.

In a recent article published on WebMD: 12 Reasons Why Adults Need Vaccines Features writer Pamela Babcock listed 12 reasons why adults should be vaccinated. This information is listed below with comments by the author. Ms. Babcock states in her introduction that the two best reasons to get vaccinated are to protect yourself and to protect the people around you. She goes into greater detail outlining twelve reasons how and why this is true:

1. You May No Longer Be Protected

Immunizations you may have received as a child my well have worn off or you may never have been fully vaccinated as a child. Many of the vaccines we were given as a child required boosters to make sure that we were fully protected. Many children, possibly you, never received all of the necessary boosters. Sometimes, some vaccines might well have been out of date, in the early years of  vaccination some vaccines were considerably less effective than those given in later years. Some people may not have been protected for years and simply lucked out. With certain immunizations for example, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus and diphtheria toxoid, the CDC has recommend a boosters every 10 years after the initial childhood series. Many people did not know this and therefore allowed their protection to lapse. These people are may not have been protected for many years.

If you didn’t get vaccinations for measles, mumps, rubella or chickenpox (or varicella) as a child, or if you have not had any these diseases, you may still need them as an adult. Many older adults were born at a time when children weren’t vaccinated as comprehensively as we vaccinate people today. All of these people may still be at risk.

2. Help Protect Your Children and Your Grandchildren

Your being vaccinated know can help protect your children and your grandchildren, especially babies who are still too young for vaccination. Vaccinations such as for whooping cough are recommended for people who have contact with young babies. Babies are not protected against these diseases until they have had the two to three doses which are necessary to give them full protection. They may not be fully protected until they are about 5 months or even older. The same is true for the flu vaccine. Since there is no flu vaccine licensed for infants younger than 6 months, if you get the flu and have contact with a very young children, you can infect them, even before you know you have been infected. You not only protect yourself when you are immunized, you also protect your loved ones.

3. Some Vaccines Are Just for Adults

Certain immunizations are now being offered to adults that were never offered to children. The herpes zoster vaccine, which prevents shingles, is a good example. Shingles is caused by a recurrence of the chickenpox virus. It can cause a severe and painful skin rash. Zoster frequency increases as the immune system ages. The vaccine is highly recommended for adults 60 years and older. Herpes zoster is painful and can last for weeks even months and in some cases can cause ongoing chronic pain for years. It is good to prevent it from happening.

4. You Should Be Immunized When You Travel

As in the past, if you are traveling to countries with endemic diseases such as malaria, you should be prepared and take antimalarial medications. If you are traveling to a country or countries, which have high risk infectious diseases such as hepatitis or meningitis, you should be vaccinated in sufficient time for the vaccinations to be effective. There are many medical conditions you can be exposed to which you might never risk at home, so be prepared. The yellow fever vaccination is required for travel to parts of sub-Saharan Africa and tropical South America. The Saudi Arabian government requires the meningococcal vaccination -- but only for travel during the Hajj, or annual pilgrimage to Mecca. You can check the CDC's web site for details about what you may need for your destination.

5. Everyone Needs a Flu Shot, Every Year

The CDC recommends that everyone six months of age and older get a flu shot annually. Each year’s vaccination is a different combination of flu virus vaccines. Each is designed to protect against the three strains of influenza currently thought to be most common and most dangerous.

6. Newly Developed Vaccines

Some vaccinations recommended for adults are fairly new. For instance, the FDA approved the first Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine in 2007 and a shingles vaccine in 2006. Although the rate of adults being vaccinated with newer vaccines is increasing, not every person who needs to be immunized is aware that these vaccines exist, nor that they are at risk, not that they should be vaccinated.

8.You’re Going Back to College

The recent downturn in our economy has forced many adults to go back to school. In these school are many young people who may not have been vaccinated. Many of these young people have brothers, sisters, cousins or other family or friends who have not been vaccinated. Therefore the risk of many of the childhood infectious diseases are increased. Many colleges require proof of routine vaccinations. You may not have old vaccination records. Your parents may not have saved these records. Your childhood doctor may no longer be in practice. It’s OK to repeat any vaccinations you are unsure of or do not remember having. You should however, be sure that you prevent future problems by keeping good records from now on.

9.You Work in the Health Care Profession

Health care workers are often exposed to all sorts of potential infections, as well as blood and bodily fluids. Most are required to that they not only have a complete vaccination series, but also annual influenza shots. The immunizations involved may included: measles, mumps, rubella (MMR); hepatitis B, as nd whooping cough immunization.

10. If You Are Sexually Active with a Number of Partners

The hepatitis B vaccine is highly recommended. Hepatitis B can be transmitted from person to person. Your partner may not appear ill, but could be carrying this disease. For certain people Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine is also a must.

11. You Have Asthma, Heart, or Lung Disease, If You Smoke Cigarettes or Have Any Other Chronic Disease

Your immune system may already be compromised, then pneumonoccal vaccine will help prevent a serious case of pneumonia and other bloodstream infections. You should get it because you may be at increased risk for these infections.

12. Don’t Take Risks

If you are not a risk taker, or you are clearly unwilling to take the risk of contracting an illness you do not need to have, then talk with your doctor about routine immunizations. The risks here, as we have suggested above, are many fold: 1) your life is at risk with many of these conditions; 2) your family may be at risk with if you are exposed to certain infectious diseases; and if you survive, 3) you could suffer from long term problems such as pain, chronic disease and disability; and 4) none of these even take into account the immediate pain and suffering you will likely experience while your are ill, nor the costs related to the medical bills, loss of time from your job, and the suffering caused to your family.

For more information on Immunization form the CDC, click here.

For the CDC Easy to Read Adult Immunization Schedule, click here.

For general information on Prevention and Wellness, click here.