STAYING WELL
Children aren’t the only ones who benefit from immunizations. There are a variety of ailments that adults should be inoculated against including:
- Tdap– Tetanus (lockjaw), Diphtheria (throat infection) and Pertussis (whooping cough). Every 5 – 10 years for all patients. Do this 2 years after your last booster if you work in healthcare or are around newborn babies.
- Hepatitis A– to prevent yellow jaundice from infected food handlers or if you travel outside the U.S. (especially Mexico and third world countries).
- Hepatitis B– for everyone born before 1982 or very sexually active people.
- Meningitis– for all patients 11-19 years old.
- Chicken Pox– if you have never had chicken pox.
- Flu shot– every October to January.
- Pneumonia– for everyone with a chronic medical condition (diabetes, heart disease, anemia, immune diseases) or over 60 years old.
- HPV– for all patients 11-26 years old
- Zoster– if you had chicken pox; given over age 60 (shingles)