Attention Older Adults!
Vaccines are not just for kids!

Many people think that only young children need to get vaccinated. However, THOUSANDS OF OLDER ADULTS die or have serious complications each year from vaccine-preventable diseases.

What vaccines do I need?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that older adults get the following vaccines:

Shingles vaccine 
One shot reduces the risk of shingles and long-term pain after shingles in adults 
60 years old and older.
	Shingles is a disease that causes a painful, blistering rash. One in five people with shingles will have severe, long-term pain after the rash heals.  
	Shingles is more common and more serious in older adults. 
	Nearly 1 million Americans get shingles every year and about half of them are 60 years old and older. 
Pneumococcal vaccine 
One shot reduces the risk of pneumococcal disease. 
	Pneumococcal disease can cause serious infections of the lungs (pneumonia), the bloodstream (bacteremia), and the covering of the brain (meningitis).
	Pneumococcal disease is one of the most common causes of vaccine-preventable death in the U.S. and 
is particularly dangerous for 
older adults.
Influenza (flu) vaccine 
Get the flu vaccine every year to avoid getting the flu and spreading it to 
loved ones.
	Every year in the U.S., an average of 36,000 people die from the flu. Most of these deaths are among adults 
65 years old and older.
Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap) vaccine
One shot of Tdap vaccine reduces the risk of getting potentially deadly infections and the risk of spreading some of these infections to others. 
	Pertussis, also called whooping cough, can be a serious—even deadly—disease in babies. Parents and grandparents can be ill with whooping cough for months and can pass the infection to babies too young to be vaccinated. 
	Tetanus is a severe, painful infection. Most of the deaths from tetanus are among older adults.
	Adults less than 65 years of age should receive a dose of Tdap vaccine in place of one of their 10-year tetanus booster shots.

Protect yourself and your loved ones against these illnesses by getting vaccinated. For more information, ask your healthcare provider, call 800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636), 
or visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/adult-vpd.htm . 

To see which vaccines you need, take the Adult Immunization Quiz at 
http://www2.cdc.gov/nip/adultImmSched/   

Logos: HHS and CDC

This document can be found on the CDC website at:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/shingles/downloads/oafactsheet.rtf