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Usually, preventive vaccinations are discussed in the context of children and the compulsory vaccination calendar. Meanwhile, adults should also be interested in vaccinations. Some childhood vaccinations should be repeated in adulthood, others require booster doses. Some vaccinations in adulthood can be taken for the first time. What vaccinations are recommended for adults?
Vaccinations for adults – whooping cough
The whooping cough vaccine is one of the first vaccinations a newborn receives. The first three doses are given to your baby by the age of two. A booster dose is given at 6 years of age. Adoption of all doses of the vaccine in childhood gives immunity to about 7-10 years. Pertussis vaccination is recommended for people over 19 years of age as a single booster dose every 10 years. Vaccination against whooping cough is recommended for pregnant women and those planning to have a babyas well as people who care for newborns and infants. Pertussis vaccine is available as a combined vaccine against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. It is worth mentioning that in 2019 the number of people suffering from whooping cough in Poland was 1626. This is 78 cases more than in 2018. Before the introduction of vaccination against whooping cough, the number of patients every year was tens of thousands, and whooping cough itself was one of the most common causes of death among babies.
Vaccinations for adults – pneumococci
Pneumococci are gram-positive bacteria that are spread by airborne droplets. They can cause many diseases, incl. acute pneumonia, blood poisoning or meningitis, but also otitis media, sinusitis and conjunctivitis. Adults who have a weak immune system, are chronically ill or have had their spleen removed can be vaccinated against pneumococci. Vaccination is also recommended for seniors and smokers.
Editors recommend:
- Doctors: Pneumococci are also a threat to adults, especially seniors
- Synflorix – pneumococcal vaccine
- When not to vaccinate a child? Contraindications to vaccinations
Vaccinations for adults – flu
Influenza vaccination is one of the recommended vaccinations. There are three types of vaccine available in Poland: inactivated vaccines containing influenza virus particles or surface influenza virus proteins, and live intranasal vaccine. If there are no medical contraindications, the flu vaccination may be vaccinated as early as six-month-old babies. As for adults, influenza vaccination is especially recommended for the elderly, people with reduced immunity, and also for pregnant women or those planning to have a baby. Vaccination should be repeated every year. The vaccine prevents 40 to 70 percent. cases, depending on the season and the group of vaccinated people. It also provides high protection against complications from influenza.
See also: Splitting vaccinations: “one visit – one vaccine”
Vaccinations for adults – mumps, measles, rubella and chicken pox
Vaccination against mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) is recommended for people who have not been vaccinated as part of compulsory vaccination. In addition, young women working with children, as well as young men (to prevent congenital rubella) should be vaccinated, especially if they have not been vaccinated under compulsory vaccinations or if more than 10 years have passed since vaccination.
People who were not vaccinated against smallpox as children and / or were not ill can also get the chickenpox vaccine. This vaccination is especially recommended for women who are planning to become pregnant and have not had chickenpox before.
Vaccinations for adults – hepatitis A and hepatitis B
Adults should also be vaccinated against hepatitis A in special cases. It is especially recommended for people working in the production and distribution of food, as well as municipal waste disposal.
Vaccination against hepatitis B is recommended for adults, as well as for people who, due to their lifestyle and activities, are exposed to infection related to damage to the continuity of tissues or to infection caused by sexual contact. People who are chronically ill who have not been vaccinated as part of the compulsory vaccination should also be vaccinated against hepatitis B.
Vaccinations for adults – rabies and tick-borne encephalitis
Vaccination against rabies is recommended for adults who, due to their duties, have frequent contact with animals. In particular, these are veterinarians and foresters. Vaccination against rabies should also be considered by employees of waste sorting plants and municipal sewage plants, i.e. places where rats can be found. Vaccination against rabies is also recommended for people who travel to countries where there is a high risk of being attacked by a wild animal.
Vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis is recommended for people who live in areas with high prevalence of the disease on a daily basis. They are recommended to foresters and people employed in forest exploitation, farmers, as well as tourists and children who often go on the so-called green schools.
See also: More and more Poles suffer from tick-borne encephalitis. What is this disease?
It is worth supplementing your vaccination schedule with vaccinations recommended for adults. During your visit to your GP, you can find out which immunizations are most appropriate.
Editors recommend:
- Non-obvious sexually transmitted infections
- Sepsis causes one in five deaths. This is more than expected
- 20 thousand Lyme disease in Poland in 2019
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