By Leah Ingram for Next Avenue
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| Credit: Adobe Stock |
Did you know that as you age, your immunity
to the diseases you’ve been vaccinated against as a child starts to wane?
So says Dr. Dana Hawkinson, infectious
disease specialist at The University of Kansas Health System in Kansas City, Kansas. That’s why it’s just as
important to be vaccinated as an adult as it was as a child. Plus, some of the
illnesses you could contract in the second half of life aren’t just an
inconvenience — they could make you very sick or even kill you.
So here’s what you need to know about the
most common vaccines for older adults — influenza (flu), pneumococcal pneumonia
and shingles — plus boosters you need for tetanus and pertussis. Use this chart
from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control for more information on when to get
which vaccines.
Influenza
If you don’t know by now, influenza or the
flu is nothing to sneeze at. It can be a killer, especially for those 65 and
older. Flu season typically lasts from fall through spring.
“Influenza is a dangerous disease that can
lead to pneumonia and fatal outcomes,” warns Hawkinson. Because the flu virus
changes every year, you need to get a flu shot annually. It is recommended for
everyone 6 months of age and older.
The shot becomes available in late August,
and Hawkinson recommends getting immunized in September or October so your body
has enough time to build up immunity after the shot. That can take a few weeks.
However, if you miss this window, don’t
forego the shot altogether.
“[People should] still continue to get it
until the end of flu season,” Hawkinson adds, “because it can have so many
important effects.” While you can still contract the flu after getting the
vaccine, the severity of the illness may be lessened. “Also, patients who have
gotten the vaccine have fewer days being ill, and they have even fewer days
missing work,” Hawkinson says.
Having an egg allergy does not mean you can’t
get the shot: there is an egg-free, FDA-approved influenza vaccine.
Pneumococcal
Pneumonia
This vaccine is known under the brand names
Pneumovax and Prevnar, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, and each prevents different strains of strep
pneumonia.
The Prevnar version of the vaccine is given
starting in childhood and then again as an adult 65 or older. The Pneumovax
version is usually for adults only. Pneumococcal pneumonia is a bacterial
infection that can have dire consequences, especially for those with certain
health conditions, such as chronic heart or lung disease, or diabetes.
Shingles
The virus that causes chicken pox also causes
shingles, a blistering rash that can produce a burning, electric shock or
stabbing pain where it erupts. Also called herpes zoster, it can lie
dormant for years in your system.
Some people who got the chicken pox as a kid
will never develop shingles. Others might get it as an adult multiple times. No
one knows why someone has a shingles outbreak, though some believe a stressful
event can bring it on.
The shingles vaccine is recommended for
individuals over 60. Unfortunately, says the CDC, the
vaccine isn’t 100 percent effective. But considering that the effects and
complications of shingles increase in severity as you age, it makes more sense to get the vaccine than not,
Hawkinson says.
One of those complications is post-herpetic neuralgia: a burning pain that lasts months or years after the
rash has healed. The risk of neuralgia is decreased if you begin taking
antiviral drugs within 72 hours of developing the shingles rash, according to
the Mayo Clinic.
A 2005 New England Journal of Medicine article underscores the severity of the disease: “The pain
and discomfort associated with herpes zoster can be prolonged and disabling,
diminishing the patient’s quality of life and ability to function to a degree
comparable to that in diseases such as congestive heart failure, myocardial
infarction [heart attack], diabetes mellitus type 2, and major depression.”
Tetanus and
Pertussis Booster
You should be getting what’s called a Tdap booster every 10 years. That’s because Tdap includes
protection against tetanus — the T in the shot — and pertussis or whooping
cough — the P in the shot.
“As we age, we become more susceptible to
pertussis, and we can spread it to the younger generation that hasn’t yet been
immunized against whooping cough,” says Hawkinson.
Another thing to consider: While it is
recommended you get this booster every 10 years, with regards to tetanus, if
you are injured (by an animal bite or a cut from metal) more than five years
after your last booster, you should get another one just to be safe.
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