Vaccines aren't just for kids, according to the California Medical Association Foundation. The Sacramento-based organization recently initiated a campaign to raise awareness about the importance of adult immunizations, according to Kaiser Health News.
Here are four reasons vaccines are important for adults:
- Since vaccines as administered to children for diseases like tetanus and diphtheria wear off over time, it's important to get revaccinated, said Ruth Haskins, MD, president-elect of the California Medical Association.
- Almost 24,000 people die from influenza every year, according to the CDC. Being vaccinated during the flu season can protect both children and adults.
Pregnant women are especially susceptible to getting the flu, since they have weakened immune systems. - About 93 percent of adults have had the shingles vaccine in their childhood. If people had chicken pox as a kid, the virus can come back as shingles in adulthood, potentially causing blindness or death. Almost 50 percent of people who are not vaccinated against shingles will get the illness by the time they are 80 to 90 years old.
- Adults who are around newborns and pregnant women can get the pertussis vaccine to protect children from catching whooping cough. Since babies cannot form antibodies to respond to the vaccine, they have a high risk of contracting the illness.
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