Vaccines Aren't Just for Kids, You Know
Way too often, parents back-burner their own medical needs in favor of handling those of their little kids. Many of us incorrectly believe that vaccines last a lifetime, which is simply not the case all the time. Scarily enough, this puts thousands upon thousands of unsuspecting people at risk for contracting dangerous diseases. In fact, estimates claim that 40,000 adults die every year of diseases that could have been prevented with a simple needle stick or two.
Read More: How Opt-Out Parents and Their Unvaccinated Kids Are a Deadly Threat to Us All
In addition, unvaccinated adults often run the risk of passing disease along to people with compromised or underdeveloped immune systems, like infants or cancer patients. Often, otherwise healthy adults can fight off diseases like whooping cough, while these other people can't. So, if you think there's even the slightest chance that you might come into contact with such a person, talk to your doctor about obtaining the following recommended adult vaccines:
Every decade or so - Tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough) booster shot
Every year - Influenza (the flu)
One shot over age 65 and 60, respectively - pneumonia and shingles
Read More: Vaccines Save Lives, And To Pretend Otherwise Is Irresponsible
Of course, not everyone chooses to vaccinate their children or get vaccines themselves. This is a giant debate that has caused discord between the pro and anti-vaccine communities for years now. I prefer to vaccinate, but I know that plenty of our readers don't. All I ask is that people really research the issue and talk to qualified experts on the topic before making any major vaccine-related decisions.
Do you routinely receive your adult vaccines? Let us know in the comments section below!
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Vaccines Save Lives, and to Pretend Otherwise is Irresponsible
