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A vaccine is a product given to an individual, usually by injection but some given orally, to help stimulate that person’s immune system and help prevent an infection or another disease.
So you already got vaccinated as a child and then through school and college, so why do you need to get vaccines as an adult?
Well, we are still exposed to infectious diseases on an everyday basis. If you think about our common issues, influenza can affect people of all ages. Influenza causes hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations every year in the United States and 4,900 – 51,000 deaths annually. Most of those are in adults, and so adults need vaccinations to protect themselves against influenza.
Other infections, like pneumococcal disease, also cause tens of thousands of hospitalizations due to over a million cases of shingles a year. All of these are vaccine-preventable diseases that we should protect adults from.
Why Adults Don’t Get Vaccinated?
The main reason is lack of knowledge. Many adults don’t realize they need vaccine protection for infectious diseases. So, filling that knowledge gap will help. There’s sometimes an issue of trust in vaccine recommendations or the vaccines themselves. There’s sometimes a lack of knowledge that not only do those vaccines protect you as an individual.
But they also help reduce the likelihood that you will transmit it to members of your family, others within your community, or potentially even worse, to your children, grandchildren, or others around you. So, vaccines have protective value across multiple different levels.
Recommended Vaccines for Adults
Influenza Vaccine
First and foremost is influenza. It is recommended that all adults and children 6 months of age and older be vaccinated against influenza every year. Influenza is the number one vaccine-preventable disease in America.
Shingles Vaccine
Second, the shingles vaccine is recommended for adults 50 and older.
Pneumococcal Vaccination
Pneumococcal vaccination is recommended for all adults 65 years old and older and younger with particular healthcare problems.
Tetanus-Diphtheria-Acellular Pertussis Vaccine
The tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis vaccine is recommended at least once for all adults.
HPV Vaccination
HPV vaccination, the human papillomavirus vaccination, is recommended for all young adults up to age 26.
Hepatitis A and B Vaccines
Hepatitis A and B vaccines are recommended for people in particular risk groups.
There are recommendations for a number of adult vaccines. Discussing these with your healthcare provider is important to determine your risk group.
When to Get Pneumoccal Vaccination
All adults 65 and older need both of two different pneumococcal vaccines: PCV or the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine.
If you are under age 65 and have chronic heart disease, lung disease, liver disease, or any disease or are on medication to impair or suppress your immune system, you need to get pneumococcal vaccinations at a younger age.
Many people need pneumococcal vaccinations, which are very complex. Again, it’s important to have a good conversation with your healthcare provider to understand your risks.
Vaccine Side Effects
Vaccines are designed to stimulate your immune system and protect your immune system to help keep you from developing infections. When you stimulate the immune system, you can often get a sore arm, a fever, sometimes chills, and sometimes even develop a little bit of a rash. So, those stem from immune system stimulation, and it is expected with many vaccines.
Now, those all tend to be very mild. Severe vaccine reactions are exceedingly uncommon. They can happen; we can’t predict 100% who will be allergic to a vaccine product, but they’re so uncommon they’re less common than you being likely to be struck by lightning or in a plane crash. So, it’s very, very unlikely for you to have a severe vaccine reaction.
Special Flu Shots for Seniors
There are a number of different flu vaccines that are available, some of them tailored to particular age groups, and others like the egg-free flu vaccine that’s available for those who may have severe allergies to eggs. So, we can protect those folks against influenza.
But there are actually two vaccines that are specifically tailored to improve the immune response to flu vaccine for older adults: one that is called the high-dose flu vaccine that has a higher dose of the three different types of flu that we are protecting against this year, the other is called an adjuvanted flu vaccine that means it’s got an additional medication in there to stimulate the immune system in people who may not respond as well.
Either one of those vaccines is designed to help older people’s immune systems respond better and protect them better against influenza.
Hepatitis A Vaccination
Asking about Hep A, or hepatitis A, is a virus that can be passed from person to person primarily through contamination. Hepatitis A vaccine is recommended for people who have chronic liver disease. It’s recommended for men who have sex with men. It’s recommended for those who may be exposed to contaminated food or water.
If you’re traveling to many third-world countries, you might need the hepatitis A vaccine. Again, there’s a list of reasons that you might need it, and it’s worthwhile talking to your doctor or looking for vaccine recommendations for adults, which will give you that information.
HPV Vaccination
HPV vaccine is recommended for anyone from 11 to 21 years of age. If the vaccine series started before age 14, you only need two doses of the vaccine. If it started after that, you need three doses. But this protects young people against human papillomavirus, which is one of the most common viral causes of cancer that we have. So, cancer prevention is very important for all of us.
Vaccinations for Spleen Removal
People who have had to have their spleen removed or who have conditions that cause the spleen not to function, like people who might have sickle cell disease, need protection against a number of different infectious agents that those of us who have our spleen or have normal spleen function will respond to. That includes the pneumococcal vaccine, the Haemophilus influenzae vaccine, and the meningococcal vaccine. So, there are a number of vaccines that are particularly important to those folks. Again, a detailed discussion with your healthcare provider is very important.
Measles Vaccination
The measles virus has been in the news a lot in the last year, and many adults are concerned. The good news is that most adults have had measles at some point in their lives or have had at least one dose of the measles vaccine. But adults who were born after 1957 and may have missed the second dose of the vaccine may need a second dose to be sure they’re protected.
ClarityFirst Primary Care for Your Vaccination Needs in Wichita, KS
ClarityFirst Primary Care stands out as a trusted provider in Wichita, KS, offering top-quality and convenient primary care services.
At ClarityFirst, we prioritize your convenience by offering flexible options. You can schedule a house call, bringing our experienced providers directly to you. We understand the challenges of limited mobility among our patients. That’s why we are committed to delivering high-quality healthcare wherever you are, ensuring you never have to compromise on essential medical services.
Experience the difference with ClarityFirst Primary Care – where convenience meets exceptional medical care.