• Reviewed By: Neha Pathak. MD
  • Reviewed on 5/28/2021

Adult Vaccines

How Vaccines Work

Vaccines help your immune learn to fight against germs to keep you well.

They teach your immune system how to fight germs — without an actual infection. That’s because in most cases, you’re given a weaker or inactive version of a virus or bacteria, or an important part of it. When your immune system sees these germs, it learns to fight them and keep you from getting sick later.

Tetanus (Tdap) Vaccine: Three-in-One

Tdap is a vaccine that works as a booster shot against three infections.

The bacteria that cause tetanus enter the body through wounds, cuts, or scrapes. Tetanus can lead to severe muscle spasms, stiffness, and lockjaw. That’s when you can’t open your mouth or swallow. We get sick because of a toxin or toxins the bacteria make. The Tdap vaccine works as a booster shot against three infections. It not only protects you from tetanus, but from diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough), too. A one-time Tdap vaccine and a Td (tetanus-diphtheria) booster every 10 years are all it takes to keep from getting these diseases. Pregnant women should get a booster between weeks 27 and 36 of each pregnancy.

Stay Ahead of Chickenpox

Chickenpox tends to be a more serious illness as an adult, so get vaccinated if you haven't had it yet.

If you’ve avoided chickenpox (varicella) so far, don’t push your luck. You can still get it by being in a room with someone who has it. Adults with chickenpox have a higher risk of complications, hospitalization, and death. For example, varicella pneumonia may be more severe in pregnant women and is a medical emergency. Untreated, almost half of pregnant women with varicella pneumonia die. Since chickenpox puts you at risk for shingles, chickenpox vaccine may offer some protection against shingles, too. It also reduces risk of infection in the community, especially among those who are susceptible but can’t be vaccinated, such as pregnant women. Two doses of the vaccine are administered four to eight weeks apart to people 13 and older.

Shingles Vaccine: Important After 60

It is recommended for adults to be vaccinated against shingles if they are 50 years or older or if they are 18 and older and immunocompromised.

The virus that gave you chickenpox as a child can strike again as shingles or “herpes zoster” when you’re an adult. Most common after age 60, the painful, blistering shingles rash can damage your eyes and cause long-term pain called postherpetic neuralgia. If you get this rash, you can also infect others with chickenpox. The two-dose Shingrix vaccine is recommended to prevent shingles for any one 50 or older, as well as in those 18 or older who are immunodeficient or immunosuppressed.

 

Continue reading:

https://www.medicinenet.com/adult_vaccines_protect_against_tetanus_and_more/article.htm?ecd=mnl_spc_092321

Article submitted by Pat France, MSRN Member