What vaccines do adults need?

When asked what vaccinations an adult needs, many answer with a surprised look: why is it for a person who has already "outgrown" childhood illnesses?

But the problem of infectious diseases is more complicated than it seems at first glance. In many cases, adults need this procedure even more than children.
For example, "usual" measles is more difficult to tolerate after 20 years than at 3-4 years, and with more likely to lead to consequences that will remain with the person for life.

Therefore, you need to figure out what vaccinations to do, when is the best time to do this, and when it is worth rescheduling vaccinations.

What vaccinations do adults need and when to get them
Vaccinations for adults: when it is better to avoid vaccination

What vaccinations do adults need and when do they

At its essentially, vaccination — this is the introduction into the body of inactive pathogens of any disease. The immune system, "having met" with an infection, develops antibodies to and in the future, if the same pathogen enters the body again, it is already ready to fight it.

The statistics more than convincingly demonstrate the effectiveness of preventive vaccinations. Thus, the incidence of poliomyelitis (one of the most dangerous diseases) has decreased to 5 cases per year, compared to 13.5 thousand in 50s y of the last century.

Some diseases, such as mumps and poliomyelitis, are dangerous only for children, or vaccination in childhood is enough to prevent them.

But the following diseases require strict adherence to the vaccination schedule:

Hepatitis B. This disease — Cause of death over 700,000 people around the world every year. The virus that causes liver damage is transmitted from partner to partner during unprotected intercourse, and also through blood.
Vaccination is carried out according to the following scheme: the first vaccination, repeated after a month and final after six months. Three times the introduction of the vaccine provides stable immunity to the hepatitis B virus.
Diphtheria. This is a disease that at first resembles the flu and a sore throat, but quickly leads to a serious condition of the patient. Mortality from diphtheria is also quite high, since diphtheria toxin leads to damage to internal organs. If in childhood a person was not vaccinated, in adulthood vaccination is carried out as follows: two vaccinations with an interval of one month, the third — 12 months after the second, and then every 10 years for life.
Tetanus. This is a very dangerous disease that often leads to death due to damage to the central nervous system. Vaccination follows the same

In addition, it is recommended to get vaccinated against measles rubella — after the last dose of the vaccine, immunity lasts for 10 years.

Read also: Vaccination of adults: what is important to know

It is important to understand that additional vaccinations should be given if you are at risk for diseases such as influenza, pneumonia, pneumococcal infection, meningitis, tick-borne encephalitis, borreliosis:

Read also: Dangerous tick bites: clinical manifestations of Lyme borreliosis

often going to public places during the period of an epidemic of any disease;
your work is associated with potential risks of infection (service personnel of hotels, airports, medical and educational institutions);
you live in a region with frequent outbreaks of some kind of infectious disease;
are going on a trip to another climate zone, and if your daily or professional activity involves frequent movement;
you have an increased tendency to infectious diseases or a possible infection with more likely to lead to complications (frequent colds, age over 65 years, women — menopausal period);
you are scheduled for elective surgery;
you are planning a pregnancy.