(19 – 64 years old)

Many adults do not realize they could be at risk for a vaccine preventable disease. The effectiveness of some vaccinations lessens over time and will not provide enough protection.

• Approximately 50,000 adults die each year from vaccine preventable diseases.
• Adults are 100 times more likely to die from vaccine preventable diseases than children.
• Adults are 25 times more likely to die from chickenpox (varicella) than children.
• The cost of treating adults for vaccine preventable diseases exceeds 10 billion a year excluding the cost of life.
• There are 51,000 new cases of hepatitis B a year; 95 percent of new cases are adults.
• Fifteen percent of people with hepatitis A are hospitalized each year.
• Measles during pregnancy increases risk of premature labor, spontaneous abortion and low birth weight babies.
• There is an 85 percent chance of fetal damage if a pregnant woman develops rubella during the first trimester.
• In 2007 there were 11,100 new cases of cervical cancer and 3,700 women died.
• Ten to 14 percent of meningitis cases are fatal; 11 to 19 percent of the survivors have permanent damage such as amputation, deafness and neurological damage.

Recommended Adult Vaccines

Chickenpox (Varicella)

You should receive the vaccine if you:

• Were born in 1980 or later, have never had chickenpox, not been vaccinated or don’t know.
• Were born before 1980, are a health care worker or foreign born, and not sure if you’ve had chickenpox.
• May become pregnant and do not know if you’ve had chickenpox or been vaccinated.

Hepatitis A

You should be vaccinated for hepatitis A if you:

• Want to avoid getting hepatitis A and spreading it to others
• Was vaccinated in the past but never received the second dose
• Might have been exposed in the past 2 weeks
• Fall into one of the following risk groups
  • are a man who has sex with men
  • use street drugs
  • have chronic liver disease
  • have a clotting factor disorder
  • travel to countries other than the United States, western Europe, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand

Hepatitis B

You should be vaccinated for hepatitis b if you:

• Want to avoid getting hepatitis B
• Was vaccinated in the past but did not complete the full three-dose series
• Fall into one of the following risk groups:
  • Sexually active and not in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship
  • A man who has sex with men
  • An immigrant or your parents are immigrants from an area in the world where hepatitis B is common
  • Diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease
  • Diagnosed with HIV
  • Inject street drugs
  • Have chronic liver disease
  • Are or will be on dialysis
  • A health care or public safety worker who is or maybe exposed to blood or other body fluid,
  • Provide direct services for people with developmental disabilities
  • Travel outside the United States

Human Papillomavirus(HPV)

You should receive the HPV vaccine if you:

• You should receive this vaccine if you are 26 years old or younger and have not completed the series against HPV

Influenza (Flu)

You should receive an annual flu vaccination if you:

• Want to avoid getting the disease and spreading it to others. You can spread the disease without ever having symptoms.
• Live with or provide for an infant younger than 6 months of age
• Have an ongoing health problem. For example, lung, heart, kidney disease, or diabetes.
• Have a disease that affects the immune system. For example, HIV/AIDS and cancer.
• Are or will be pregnant
• Are a health care worker

Measles–Mumps–Rubella (MMR)

You should receive the vaccine if you:

• Are a woman considering getting pregnant and do not know if you are immune to rubella.
• Are a health care worker with no history of measles or mumps and only received one dose of MMR vaccine.
• Were born in 1957 or later and never received an MMR vaccination.
• Were born in 1957 or later, fall into one of the following groups, and only received one dose of MMR vaccine:
  • Entering college or post high school educational institution
  • Had a blood test that confirms no immunity to MMR
  • Travel internationally

Meningococcal

You should receive the vaccine if you:

• Are or will be a college freshman living in a dorm.*
• Are traveling to an area of the world where the disease is common.
• Have sickle cell disease.
• Have a non-functioning spleen or your spleen has been removed.
• Have a terminal complement component deficiency.

*Nevada State regulations mandate that college freshmen under the age of 24 who plan to live on campus must be immunized against Neisseria meningitis.

Pneumonia

You should receive one pneumonia vaccine before the age of 65 if you:

• Have asthma
• Smoke cigarettes
• Have a diabetes or heart, lung, liver, kidney or sickle cell disease
• Alcoholism
• Have had an organ or bone marrow transplant
• Had spleen removed
• A cochlear implant
• Spinal fluid leak

Shingles

Shingles vaccince (Shingrix) — vaccine is recommended for people 50 years and older. Shingrix is recommended for people previously vaccinated with Zostavax.

Tetanus-Diphtheria-Pertussis (Tdap)

It is especially important for adults who live with or care for infants to be vaccinated. You should receive the Tdap vaccine if:

• You have never received a dose of Tdap or you don’t remember if you have; regardless of when you received a Td vaccine.
• If you have contact with young children such as child care, health care or family.
• You are in the third trimester of your pregnancy and haven’t had a dose of Tdap vaccine for this pregnancy.

Pertussis, also known as Whooping Cough, can be deadly for babies. Visit the Pertussis webpage for more information.

Free Tdap vaccine is available at the health district for uninsured or underinsured adults who care for a child up to 1 year of age. This includes parents, grandparents, family members and child care workers. Download the Tdap coupon and present it at the immunization clinic. Note: Offer valid while supplies last. A $20 administration fee may apply.