Adult Vaccines

Vaccines are not just for kids!

Adult vaccines play an important role in protecting those over the age of eighteen from illness and possibly death. Adult vaccines work in several ways. Booster vaccines reinforce the protection from earlier vaccines that weakens over time. Vaccines can help bolster the immune system as it weakens with age. These same vaccines may be given to younger people with a chronic medical condition including asthma, diabetes, and heart disease, or a lifestyle that puts them at higher risk for infection and serious illness. Vaccines can also protect adults who missed getting them during childhood and adolescence. Younger adults who live with or care for those most vulnerable to the serious consequences of vaccine-preventable diseases - young children, the elderly, or those with chronic health conditions - can create a ring of protection around those they live with or care for by getting vaccinated and stopping the spread of infection.

The recommendations for adult vaccines vary according to age and other conditions.

General Recommendations for Adult Vaccination (age 18 and older):

Tdap (Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) booster followed by Td (Tetanus and diptheria) booster every 10 years

Influenza vaccine for adults age 50 and older; those with chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and heart disease; health care workers; pregnant women; and caregivers of children 0-5 and the elderly

Zoster (shingles) vaccine for adults age 60 and older

Pneumococcal vaccine for adults age 65 and older and for adults under 65 with other risk factors such as chronic cardiac or pulmonary disease, chronic liver disease, or diabetes

For adults who have not yet been vaccinated during childhood or adolescence:

Meningococcal vaccine through 18 years, particularly for college freshmen living in dormitories

Chickenpox booster for those born in the U.S. after 1980 who have not had chickenpox disease

HPV (human papillomavirus), a 3-shot series recommended for females through age 26 to prevent cervical cancer

MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) for those born in or after 1957 (especially those born outside the U.S.)

Hepatitis B for all persons through age 18, healthcare workers, adults at high-risk, or for adults wishing to obtain immunity

Hepatitis A for adults at high-risk or for those wishing to obtain immunity

Adult Travelers: People traveling outside the U.S. may need additional vaccines. The Travel Immunization Clinic has more specific information.

Links

Immunization Information for Adults (State of California Immunization Branch)
2007-2008 Adult Schedule (153k PDF, 5p. - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Summary of Recommendations for Adult Immunization (PDF, 3p. - Immunization Action Coalition)
Healthcare Personnel Vaccination Recommendations (PDF, 1p. - Immunization Action Coalition)
Guidelines for Vaccinating Pregnant Women (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Healthy Outlook Column: New shingles vaccine can spare older adults severe nerve pain
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) (California Department of Health Services)

Content provided by the Public Health Division of Contra Costa Health Services.

Also of interest

Vaccines are not just for kids!

Links