Nobody wants to fall ill, but sometimes you just can’t avoid being around others who are sick. Vaccinations are a convenient and safe preventive measure and often the best way to protect yourself and your family from serious disease.
Even young and healthy adults can get very sick and go downhill quickly. Vaccine-preventable diseases can strike at any time, and they can be costly. For example, the average bout of flu can last up to 15 days, which means at least five or six days off from work. What’s more, when you get sick, you put others at risk.
Vincent R.C. Maribao, MD, provides preventive vaccines to keep you, and your loved ones, healthy. Here are the vaccines every adult should have.
Everybody should get this vaccine each year. Evidence shows that flu vaccines are effective against both illness and death from influenza and the complications it can cause.
This vaccine is particularly vital for people who have a chronic illness, such as heart disease, diabetes, and asthma. Adults 65 years and older should also get the flu vaccine every year, ideally before the start of flu season in October.
Shingles is an incredibly painful infection of a nerve and the skin around it. It’s caused by the same virus that gives you chickenpox. After a chickenpox infection, shingles can lie dormant in your body. Even if the shingles virus becomes active once, you’re not in the clear, as it can occur multiple times.
The shingles vaccine is given to adults age 50 and older as just one injection at any time of the year. It’s aimed at reducing the risk of developing shingles. If you still get the virus even after getting the vaccine, it’s likely to be much milder and have a faster recovery.
As a child, you had a series of tetanus shots. However, as an adult, you need a booster every 10 years. It’s a good idea to get this shot when you’re between the ages of 19 and 64. Tetanus shots can also protect against a whooping cough.
This vaccination protects vulnerable people against pneumonia and meningitis as well as several other infections that could lead to hospitalization and even death. Everybody 65 years and older should get the pneumococcal vaccine, administered in two shots about a year apart. If you’re an active smoker or have a chronic illness like asthma, COPD, diabetes, or heart disease, you also need this vaccine.
The human papillomavirus vaccine is still fairly new and aims to prevent some types of cervical cancer. It’s administered in a series of three doses. Ideally, boys and girls start getting this series at age 11 or 12; however men and women up to age 26 can still be vaccinated against HPV.
Meningitis is a serious disease that causes the spinal cord and membranes of the brain to become inflamed. It’s typically caused by parasites, bacteria, or viruses. Some types of cancer, drugs, and even some injuries can also result in meningitis. Bacterial meningitis is particularly serious and while many people do recover, the disease can cause permanent and sometimes disabling problems.
Adults at increased risk for meningococcal disease should get the meningitis vaccine. You may be at risk if:
Make sure you’re up to date with your vaccines by booking an appointment with Dr. Maribao. Contact the office in Saint Clair Shores, Michigan, today.
