Adult Vaccines Could Help Prevent Many Common Viruses
PITTSBURGH (NewsRadio 1020 KDKA) - As a child, you're stressed the importance of being given all the necessary vaccines. The CDC recommends 16 vaccines for children to prevent multiple viruses.
But the problem develops when we grow into adults and forget to continue those vaccines. The CDC believes that there are many viruses including pneumonia and pneumococcal that can be prevented by vaccines. Adults, however, are simply "unaware" of these vaccines.
The Associate Director of Adult Immunizations at the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discussed why vaccines are so important.
Adult Vaccines
Dr. Carolyn Bridges is a board-certified internal medicine physician. During her career in public health, she conducted research and policy on influenza prevention and control, vaccine effectiveness, disease transmission and improving adult vaccine coverage.
"Many adults are really not aware of the vaccines that they need," said Dr. Bridges. "They just become less routine."
She explains that the older you get viruses like Shingles will get worse and receiving a vaccine is your best option. Another example is the Human Papillomavirus vaccine, which is very effective in her opinion from protecting yourself against cervical cancer and genital warts.
Why Adults Don't Get Vaccines
Dr. Bridges even expresses her thoughts that women who are pregnant should be receiving vaccines in their third trimester of pregnancy to prevent things like whooping cough. When a child is born they are too young to receive vaccines, but if the mother has the vaccine she can pass it to her child as protection until they are old enough.
The CDC supplies a list of locations and matching vaccines you should take when you plan to travel out of the country. Sometimes the adult's medical provider won't include those vaccines in their plan, but she still feels they are necessary to get.
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