Vaccines for Adults
You never outgrow the need for vaccines. The specific immunizations you need as an adult are determined by factors such as your age, lifestyle, high -risk conditions, type and locations of travel, and previous immunizations. Vaccine recommendations for adolescents and adults are based on a variety of factors including age, overall health status, and medical history.
Keeping up -to -date with your immunizations can be difficult. From when you had your last tetanus booster to whether you should get the flu vaccine, it's easy to lose track of which vaccinations you've had and which you need.
Apart from protecting themselves, adults should consider the benefits of vaccination to the family and community. In most cases, a person who is vaccinated against a disease cannot spread that disease to other people. High rates of vaccination help protect those around us who cannot be immunized for health reasons. n addition to the vaccines listed above, some of which are recommended if you are traveling to an area with a large number of cases of the diseases they prevent, other vaccines may be recommended if you are traveling internationally.
In addition, some vaccines may be required before you are allowed to enter a particular country or region. If you are traveling to certain countries in tropical South America or sub Saharan Africa, international health regulations require that you be vaccinated against yellow fever. These requirements made national news in 2011. South Africa requires proof of yellow fever vaccination before issuing travel visas, and fans in Uganda, where there was a shortage of the vaccine, scrambled to be immunized in time to travel.
The concerns surrounding the dangers of vaccines during pregnancy is mostly theoretical. The concern is related to the risk of transfer to the fetus. There is no evidence of any risk associated with the use of inactivated vaccines in pregnant women. The biggest concern is related to the use of live vaccines. While the risk is extremely low, the concern is that the live virus will be transferred from the mother to the fetus.
Immunization remains the most cost - effective and safe preventive measure that can be taken to protect children and adults from life -threatening disease.
