8/1/2023
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Posted by Dr. Sharon McLaughlin, Medical Director
in
Health and Wellness,
Immunizations
Vaccines play a crucial role in protecting against severe illnesses and reducing their spread across communities.
Childhood immunizations protect against serious diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, polio, Hepatitis A and B, and more. These vaccines protect children and allow them to enter into adulthood with less risk of serious health complications.
Vaccines also play an important part in our ongoing health into adulthood and our golden years. According to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), everyone should stay up to date on these routine vaccines:
- COVID-19 vaccine
- Flu vaccine (influenza)
- Tdap vaccine (includes tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough) or Td vaccine (tetanus and diphtheria)
You may need other vaccines, too. This will be based on your age, health conditions, lifestyle, and travel needs. In addition, you should talk to your doctor if you aren’t sure if you received all your childhood vaccines, such as the varicella vaccine, which prevents chickenpox, or the HPV vaccine, which protects against human papillomavirus.
Depending on your age and where you grew up, some childhood vaccines may not have been administered to you when you were younger. Even if you didn’t get the vaccine when you were a child, you still are at risk. The diseases that vaccines protect against can lead to adverse health conditions, missed work, financial burdens, and the inability to provide care for loved ones. Some of these diseases can cause even more harm to you when you are an adult.
Visit fideliscare.org/immunizations for a complete list of childhood and adolescent vaccinations.
There are additional vaccines to protect older adults because our immune system weakens as we age increasing the risk of infection. They are:
- Shingles vaccine (zoster): Get this vaccine at age 50. It prevents shingles and the most common complication, post-herpetic neuralgia.
- Pneumococcal vaccine: Get this vaccine at age 65. It protects against various infections, including pneumonia, and is particularly important for individuals with certain medical conditions.
Ensure you are up to date with your vaccines to stay in good health and protect those around you.
https://www.cdc.gov/pneumococcal/about/risk-transmission.html
https://www.cdc.gov/shingles/multimedia/shringrix-50-older.html#:~:text=If%20you're%2050%20or,complications%20increases%20as%20you%20age.