Doctors Stress Importance Of Adults Keeping Up With Immunizations

When we hear it’s important to stay up to date on routine vaccinations, we usually think of children and teens. But during National Immunization Month, doctors are highlighting that staying up to date on vaccinations is critical for people of all ages.

Phyllis Taubin was due for a dose of the pneumonia vaccine at her annual physical. “I think it's very important to have them. It's vital for your overall health,” she said.

The vaccine is recommended for adults age 65 and up. It protects against several types of pneumococcal bacteria. “Pneumococcal pneumonia is the number one cause of bacterial pneumonia. The older you get, the riskier it is. It can spread to the bloodstream, and it can be a devastating disease. So, we do want to prevent it,” says Dr. Caren Behar, Medical Director of NYU Langone's Joan Tisch Center For Women's Health.

Other immunizations for adults include Tdap to protect against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis, HPV to prevent cervical and other cancers, hepatitis A and B and herpes zoster to help prevent shingles. Dr. Behar said, “See your doctor once a year and have a conversation about things that are routine, vaccines, blood, mammograms, colonoscopy. If your doctor doesn't bring it up to you, you should bring it up to your doctor. What vaccines am I due for? And at different ages you're due for different vaccines.”

Phylis received her shingles vaccine last year. “To ward off actually getting shingles because it's, I know, very painful,” she said.

And she gets a flu shot every year. So that’s the next vaccine on her list to stay safe and healthy this winter.

Research shows the COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant decline in routine immunizations for adults, children and adolescents, which is concerning because it could lead to more vaccine preventable illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths.