Which Vaccines Should I Consider As an Adult?

Staying one step ahead of illness and disease is a great way to protect your overall health and wellness, and vaccines are among the most effective ways to safeguard it.

While some people assume that we build all the immunity we need when we’re younger, the reality is that immunity is an ongoing effort, especially as new threats and new science emerge.

With that in mind, the team of health experts at Michigan Avenue Primary Care wants to review which vaccines adults should consider to maintain their health this year and beyond.

Protection against respiratory viruses

As recent history has taught us, respiratory viruses can be far more serious than a common cold. From COVID-19 to influenza to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), these infections make their unwelcome rounds across the country each year — the flu alone leads to 9 million to 41 million illnesses.

Whichever virus strikes, at best, it lays you out for a week or two and, at worst, it can (and does) claim lives. 

The good news is that we offer protection against these respiratory viruses, and we recommend that people of all ages get vaccinated annually against flu and COVID. For RSV, we recommend that adults start vaccinating after the age of 50, as an estimated 110,000-180,000 older adults are hospitalized with RSV in the US each year.

Chickenpox and shingles

When you get chickenpox as a kid, the disease can linger in your system and rear its ugly head later in life in the form of shingles, which can be painful.

So, we should check your chickenpox status and vaccinate accordingly to help you avoid later-in-life issues.

Pneumonia

If you’re aged 50 or older and in good health, we want you to stay that way with a pneumococcal vaccination, which protects against pneumonia.

If you’re younger but your health is vulnerable due to an immune deficiency or preexisting illness, we might recommend vaccinating against pneumonia at a younger age.

Tetanus

If you had a tetanus shot as a kid, you should boost this every 10 years or when you have an injury that might lead to tetanus.

Other vaccines to consider

There are plenty of other vaccines we offer to adults, and these depend on previous immunization and medical history. For example, people who are more vulnerable to illness because they’re immunocompromised should have more protections in place, such as vaccinations against measles, mumps, and hepatitis.

As well, women who are pregnant should have a few vaccinations done to protect themselves and their babies, such as vaccinating against whooping cough.

The best way to figure out which vaccines will support your health is to sit down with one of our primary care specialists. We make it our business to track your health and needs to develop an immunization schedule that’s best for your circumstances.

To get that ball rolling, we invite you to contact us at our clinic in Chicago, Illinois, in The Loop, to schedule a consultation with one of our healthcare providers. You can also visit our urgent care center during operating hours, Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4 pm.