State health officials say most parents are diligent about making sure their children receive their vaccines on time. But they often don’t consider what immunizations they need to stay healthy.
Dr. Loretta Haddy, the director of the West Virginia Office of Epidemiology and Prevention, says once you’re past your youth that doesn’t mean you get out of a shot in the arm or two every year to prevent communicable diseases.
The two most common adult vaccines are for flu and pneumonia. However, Haddy says it doesn’t stop here.
"There’s just other vaccines that adults haven’t received and should receive for their own protection as well as their family, children, grandchildren,” she said.
She’s referring to immunizations for hepatitis, meningitis, shingles and your T-DAP that takes care of tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis.
Haddy stresses people can keep track of the shots they’ve received and which ones they need by logging on to www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/.
And you don’t even need a family physician to get those shots, according to Haddy.
"If you don’t have a provider, pharmacies and pharmacist immunizers have recently had a new law passed where they can provide all of those adult vaccines."
Haddy says by getting your adult vaccines, your protecting yourself and everyone else around you.