What Vaccines Should Adults Get?
Author: Shannon Miller Lifestyle
You know what vaccines to get for your kids…or at least your doctor or healthcare provider keeps you on track for your children’s vaccines.
But what about YOU and your spouse?
What kind of adult vaccination should you be getting to protect yourself AND your kids?
Flu Vaccine
To see the rate of the flu in America right now, check this CDC Flu Outbreak map, which is updated weekly by the CDC. At the time this article was written, the flu was “widespread” throughout the nation, with the exception of Tennessee.
Most adults should be getting an annual flu vaccine. Pregnant women should ask their doctors, but everyone else should be able to get the shot. Most areas have free flu shot days, and most pharmacies and offices will administer the flu shot even without an appointment. Taking the flu shot can save victims from extreme flu symptoms, such as achiness and extreme fever. In some cases, flu causes dehydration. Every year, a small number of people die from the flu, but many more people spend days or weeks out of work and infect their families with a dangerous disease.
Pneumococcal disease
Pneumococcal disease affects mostly older people and people with weakened immune systems. Pneumococcal disease can cause pneumonia, meningitis, and bloodstream infections. Ask your doctor if you are susceptible to Pneumococcal disease, and take the vaccine if necessary. It could save your life.
Pertussis
Pertussis is often called whooping cough. It could be fatal to people of weakened immune systems or small children. People who have small children in their homes should get the pertussis vaccine in order to protect the household from this harmful, sometimes fatal, disease.
Meningitis
You may be asked to take a meningitis vaccine if you have been exposed to it. Many times, all of the children in a classroom and their teachers will need a meningitis vaccine if one child in the class has been diagnosed with meningitis, or even if he is feared to have meningitis.
Meningitis causes swelling of the lining of the brain and spinal chord. This can cause permanent nerve damage and brain damage. In some cases, it is fatal.
Chicken Pox
Children now get the chicken pox vaccine. Most adults did not get a vaccine for chicken pox as a child, but were exposed to it and therefore usually do not catch it again.
If you did not get chicken pox as a kid, and were never vaccinated, you may want to get the vaccine, especially if you are thinking about getting pregnant. Chicken pox during pregnancy is dangerous to the mother and harmful to the unborn child.