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As you get older, you may be at a higher risk of complications from common infections. These can become serious illnesses. So you need some other help.
From age 50, you need some vaccines that you may not have needed before. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend:
- At age 50, start getting the flu vaccine every year. (Note: The flu vaccine in spray form is not recommended for people ages 50 and older.)
- At age 60, get vaccinated for shingles.
- At age 65, get one dose of the pneumonia vaccine.
Your doctor can tell you if you need other vaccines or booster shots
. Be sure to tell your doctor if you have any medical conditions, or are traveling to another country.
Why do I need these vaccinations?
You may think that you don’t need more vaccinations. But remember that vaccines help healthy people stay healthy.
Sometimes people don’t think illnesses, like the flu, are serious. But, flu and pneumonia aren’t minor illnesses, especially for older people.
Many of the people who die from these illnesses are ages 65 or older. Yet many older adults still don’t get their vaccines. In 2003, only two thirds of people in the US ages 65 and older got a flu shot in the past year.
What do these shots protect me from?
The flu shot helps protect you from the flu. But, since flu viruses can change, you need to get a new shot every year. The flu shot can help prevent a hospital stay and deaths caused by the flu.
The shingles vaccine can help keep you from getting shingles. It can also decrease the severity and complications of the disease if you do get shingles. (Note: The shingles vaccine is not part of the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC’s) adult vaccination schedule. However, the CDC does recommend shingles vaccination for adults 60 years and older.)
The pneumococcal vaccine helps prevent serious pneumococcal infections. Pneumococcal infections are one of the most common causes of pneumonia.
These vaccinations don’t protect you from all illnesses. Even if you get the vaccinations, you can get other colds, lung infections, and types of pneumonia.
Will these shots make me sick?
A lot of people think the flu shot, or the pneumococcal vaccine, can make you sick. You can’t get these diseases from the shot. But you may feel sick and have mild side effects like soreness or swelling at the site of the shot. And you can have body aches from the flu shot itself.
If you get the flu, then you might be infected with a flu strain that is not covered in that year’s vaccine.
Also of Interest
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