People of all ages should have their immunizations updated. Especially with some of the vaccine preventable illness outbreaks that are occurring across the entire United States, it is important for adults as well as children to maintain current immunizations. For example, there are numerous areas with pertussis (whooping cough) outbreaks and many associated deaths. This is occurring for several reasons. First of all, many parents are afraid to have their infants immunized leaving them vulnerable to many preventable infections. Secondly, until recently, the last dose of pertussis vaccine that most people received was at age four or five. However, there is now an adult booster of pertussis combined with the tetanus vaccine. This is now the required vaccine for the 12-14 year old. It is also recommended for all adults up to the age of 60. Adults get a milder case of pertussis that may be passed off as a lingering cold and cough. In reality, though, they have pertussis and spread it to the young unimmunized children that have a severe and often life-threatening case of pertussis. Young parents are often the ones responsible for spreading the disease to their child. Some hospitals and Obstetricians require mothers to receive the vaccine prior to discharge after delivery.
There are other vaccines that are adult only vaccines. These include the pneumonia and shingles vaccine for older adults. Everyone should have an annual flu vaccine both to protect themselves and also to protect the unimmunized infants. Finally, most adults have no idea when their last tetanus shot was. These should be updated every 8-10 years. In actuality, adults only get tetanus shots when they have a dirty wound.
People of all ages should have their immunizations updated.
Especially with some of the vaccine preventable illness outbreaks
that are occurring across the entire United States, it is important
for adults as well as children to maintain...
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Dr. Margaret Payne answered:People of all ages should have their immunizations updated. Especially with some of the vaccine preventable illness outbreaks that are occurring across the entire United States, it is important for adults as well as children to maintain current immunizations. For example, there are numerous areas with pertussis (whooping cough) outbreaks and many associated deaths. This is occurring for several reasons. First of all, many parents are afraid to have their infants immunized leaving them vulnerable to many preventable infections. Secondly, until recently, the last dose of pertussis vaccine that most people received was at age four or five. However, there is now an adult booster of pertussis combined with the tetanus vaccine. This is now the required vaccine for the 12-14 year old. It is also recommended for all adults up to the age of 60. Adults get a milder case of pertussis that may be passed off as a lingering cold and cough. In reality, though, they have pertussis and spread it to the young unimmunized children that have a severe and often life-threatening case of pertussis. Young parents are often the ones responsible for spreading the disease to their child. Some hospitals and Obstetricians require mothers to receive the vaccine prior to discharge after delivery.
