Adult Immunization: Which Vaccines Do I Need, and When?

Do you know what vaccines you need and when to get them? Vaccines aren’t just for kids. Adults need them, too.

At A&U Family Medicine in Sugar Land, Texas, we provide adult immunization when appropriate based on age, immunization history, and risk of exposure. Here, Dr. Hammad Zaidi explains which vaccines you need as an adult and when to get them for maximum protection.

Why do adults need immunization?

You may not remember much about the visits to your doctor as a child, except for the shots. The shots that were vaccines helped your immune system build up a defense against common contagious diseases — a process called immunization — by exposing you to a dead or weakened germ. Immunization ensures that the next time you come in contact with the germ, your body is prepared to fight it off so you don’t get sick.

Adults need vaccines at certain times to boost immunization and to protect against other infectious diseases. 

While you received a number of vaccines as a child, immunization declines over time, meaning  your immune system may not fully remember how to protect you from those germs. Additionally, your immune system weakens as you get older, making you more vulnerable to infections and at greater risk of developing serious, sometimes life-threatening, symptoms. 

Which vaccines you need

We follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine schedule to determine what vaccines adults need. Core adult vaccines include:

• Flu vaccine
• Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap)
• Pneumococcal vaccines
• Shingles vaccine

Adults may also benefit from additional vaccines depending on immunization history and risk of exposure. For example, we may recommend the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine for young adults up to age 26 if they weren’t vaccinated earlier. 

Hepatitis A, meningococcal, and haemophilus influenzae type B vaccines are also recommended for adults at high risk of exposure, such as healthcare workers.

When to get immunizations

Dr. Zaidi determines what immunizations you need based on your age, vaccination history, and risk factors. We recommend that all adults get the flu vaccine every year because the virus that causes the flu each season changes from year to year; the most current vaccine provides the best protection against the most current strain.

You may also need immunizations for various life events, such as pregnancy, change in career, or travel outside of the country. For example, pregnant women may need the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine if they’re in their third trimester during RSV season, September through January. RSV infections in newborns can cause life-threatening symptoms.

We also recommend getting a tetanus booster shot every 10 years.

If you want to know more about what vaccines you need and when you should get them, call our office today or book an appointment online. We can review your immunization history and determine your risk factors to provide the answers you need.