Vaccines help prevent certain serious or deadly infections in the human body. They work by making a body recognise how to fight the germs that cause infections. Vaccines usually come in shots, but some come in nose sprays or medicines that people swallow. Vaccines when administered for a purpose then the purpose of often stated as “vaccinations” or “immunizations.”
Vaccines that all adults should get, even if they got their childhood vaccines and are likely to protect you against the following infections:
●Influenza (flu) – The flu can cause fever, chills, muscle aches, cough, and sore throat. It can even cause a lung infection.
●Pertussis – This infection is also known as “whooping cough” and can cause a severe breathing illness in babies. It can also make older children and adults sick. Vaccinating adults helps prevent babies around them from getting the infection. The pertussis vaccine comes in the same shot as the diphtheria and tetanus vaccines.
●Diphtheria and tetanus – Vaccines against these 2 diseases are usually together in 1 shot, or in a shot with the pertussis vaccine. Diphtheria can cause a thick covering in the back of the throat that can lead to breathing problems. Tetanus causes the muscles to work abnormally.
Many a times adults need other vaccines. This depends on their age, medical conditions, jobs, travel plans, and other factors. Some vaccines to protect against conditions they are meant for are as under:
●Pneumococcus – Pneumococcus is a germ that can cause an infection of the lungs, ears, blood, or tissues around the brain.
●Meningococcus – Meningococcus is a germ that can cause an infection of the blood or tissues around the brain.
●Herpes zoster, also called “shingles” – Shingles can cause a painful skin rash and blisters.
●Human papillomavirus (HPV) – HPV infection can lead to cancer of the cervix (in women). It can also cause genital warts in men and women. Young adults, especially women, should get this vaccine.
●Other infections, such as measles, chickenpox, hepatitis B, and hepatitis A.
People with hepatitis C need some of the same vaccines that all people need, plus some extra ones, too. People with hepatitis C need vaccines against:
●Hepatitis A – People with hepatitis C should get 2 doses of this vaccine at some point during their adult life. But the vaccine is not needed if blood tests show that a person is already protected against hepatitis A.
●Hepatitis B – People with hepatitis C should get 3 doses of this vaccine at some point during their adult life. But the vaccine is not needed if blood tests show that a person is already protected against hepatitis B.
●Pneumonia (this is called the pneumococcal vaccine) – People with hepatitis C should get 1 to 2 doses of this vaccine between ages of 19 and 64. They should also get another dose after turning 65 if it’s been more than 5 years since their last dose.
●The flu (this is called the influenza vaccine, or the “flu shot”) – People with hepatitis C should get 1 dose of this vaccine every year.
●Diphtheria and tetanus – Vaccines against these 2 diseases are usually together in 1 shot. People with hepatitis C should get 1 dose of these vaccines every 10 years.
●Pertussis (also called “whooping cough”) – People with hepatitis C should get 1 dose of this vaccine at some point during their adult life. Sometimes the vaccine for pertussis comes in the same shot as the diphtheria and tetanus vaccines.
Hepatitis A is caused by a virus. When people have hepatitis A, the virus leaves their body in their bowel movements. If infected people do not wash their hands after they use the bathroom, they can have the virus on their hands. Then they can spread the virus to anything they touch, including food, water, and other people. Hence people stating with others who are effected with Hep A must be vaccinated alongside others.
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