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 Shots?
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) (Everyone who is 6 months or older can benefit from the protection of a flu shot.)
- 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.
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!
August is National Immunization Awareness Month. It's the perfect time to remind family, friends, co-workers, and those in the community to catch up on their vaccinations. They can protect themselves and those around them, especially babies too young to be vaccinated.
Influenza season is also just around the corner, so make a family goal for everyone to get a seasonal influenza vaccine!
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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