Adults need vaccines too

Grown-ups need vaccines to protect against diseases that become more common in adulthood. They also protect you if you missed a dose as a child.

Eleven vaccines most adults need

Most adults need some or all of eleven vaccines. Ask your doctor or pharmacist what you need based on your age, health, allergies and travel plans.

Flu vaccine every year

All adults should get the flu vaccine once a year, usually starting in September through the end of the flu season, which can last as late as May.

Pneumococcal vaccine at sixty-five

All adults sixty-five and older need pneumococcal vaccine. Younger adults need it if they have long-term conditions like heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, or conditions that weaken the immune system.

Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis protection

All adults over eighteen need one dose of Tdap, then a Td booster every ten years. Pregnant women should get Tdap preferably between weeks twenty-seven and thirty-six of each pregnancy.

Hepatitis A vaccine for high-risk groups

People of all ages who live in communities with high hepatitis A rates, are men having sex with men, use street drugs, or work in countries with widespread hepatitis A should get vaccinated.

Hepatitis B vaccine for at-risk adults

Adults at risk for hepatitis B include healthcare workers, those with diabetes, people with multiple sex partners, men having sex with men, and those with HIV or advanced kidney disease.

HPV vaccine up to age twenty-six

Young women and some men up to age twenty-six who did not get HPV vaccine as preteens or teenagers should get it. It is best to get it before you start having sex.

MMR vaccine for adults born after nineteen fifty-seven

Adults born after nineteen fifty-seven who have not had measles, mumps or rubella and lack immunity should get MMR vaccine.Pregnant women should not get it but should get it at least four weeks before pregnancy.

Chickenpox vaccine for healthy adults

Healthy adults who are not pregnant, have not had chickenpox and are not immune should get varicella vaccine in two doses four to eight weeks apart.

Meningococcal vaccine for college students

College freshmen living in dorms and military recruits should get meningococcal vaccine. Adults with damaged or removed spleen, immune system problems, or those traveling to countries where the disease is common also need it.

Shingles vaccine at fifty and older

Shingrix is recommended for healthy adults fifty and older in two shots two to six months apart.It can be over ninety percent effective in preventing shingles and protection lasts an estimated four to five years.

“over 90% effective in prevening shingles and protection lasts an estimated 4-5 years”

COVID-nineteen vaccine for everyone

COVID-nineteen vaccines are recommended for everyone over the age of six months.The Pfizer vaccine is given in two shots three to eight weeks apart.The Moderna vaccine is also two shots four to eight weeks apart.