Should i get immunized

Learn more about which vaccines you may need if you have any of these conditions:. Talk with your doctor or other healthcare professional to find out which vaccines are recommended for you based on your specific health status, age, and lifestyle.

You may also need other vaccines. Visit Vaccines for Pregnant Women to learn more. Talk with your ob-gyn or midwife to find out which vaccines are recommended to help protect you and your baby. Healthcare workers HCWs are at risk for exposure to serious, and sometimes deadly, diseases.

If you work directly with patients or handle material that could spread infection, you should get appropriate vaccines to reduce the chance that you will get or spread vaccine-preventable diseases. In addition to seasonal flu influenza vaccine and Td or Tdap vaccine Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis , you should also get:.

Visit Recommended Vaccines for Healthcare Workers to learn more. STEP 1: Make sure you are up-to-date with all recommended vaccinations. Find out which vaccines you may need using the Vaccine Self-Assessment Tool to create a customized printout to take with you to your next medical appointment. Talk with your doctor or healthcare professional and get any vaccines that you may have missed. STEP 3: Make an appointment to get recommended vaccines at least 4 to 6 weeks before your trip.

Planning ahead will give you enough time to build up immunity and get best protection from vaccines that may require multiple doses. Many state and local health departments throughout the United States provide travel vaccinations. For additional information on smart travel and packing a travel health kit, see Immunization for Travelers fact sheet pdf icon [1 page].

Refugees and immigrants to the U. To learn more, visit: Vaccines for Immigrants and Refugees. Some adults with specific health conditions should not get certain vaccines or should wait to get them. Read more about who should not get each vaccine. To learn more about these diseases and the benefits and potential risks associated with the vaccines, read the Vaccine Information Statements VIS.

Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Vaccine Information for Adults. It's used very early in the manufacturing process to kill or inactivate the toxins from bacteria or viruses. Once the antigens are inactivated, the formaldehyde is diluted out. It's possible that trace amounts may remain in the final vaccine. If you know you're allergic to neomycin or any other antibiotic, speak to your doctor or practice nurse before having a vaccine.

Antibiotics known to cause allergic reactions, such as penicillin, are generally not used in vaccines. But tiny amounts of an antibiotic called neomycin, which is capable of triggering an allergic reaction, are found in:. Antibiotics are added to some vaccines to prevent the growth of bacteria during the production and storage of the vaccine. A full list of any vaccine's ingredients is available on the electronic medicines compendium emc website. Read more about specific vaccine ingredients on the Oxford University Vaccine Knowledge Project website.

Page last reviewed: 30 July Next review due: 30 July Why vaccination is safe and important. Video: vaccines - are they safe for my child? In this video, a GP reassures a parent about vaccinations for her child.

Media last reviewed: 29 July Media review due: 29 July Be aware of anti-vaccine stories Anti-vaccine stories are often spread online through social media. Measles and mumps cases in England How many measles and mumps cases there were in England in and Year Measles Mumps Information: Read more about herd immunity and who it protects on the Oxford University Vaccine Knowledge Project website.

Information: Read about how vaccines are licensed, tested and monitored on the Oxford University Vaccine Knowledge Project website. Non-urgent advice: Speak to your GP or practice nurse if:. Live and killed vaccine comparison Live and killed vaccine comparison Live weakened vaccines Killed destroyed vaccines Contain viruses or bacteria that have been weakened Contain viruses or bacteria that have been destroyed Cannot be given to people with a weakened immune system Can still be given to people with a weakened immune system Gives long-term protection Often needs several doses or a booster vaccine for full protection.

Aluminium adjuvant Is it safe? It's found naturally in very small amounts in: almost all foods drinking water breast milk baby formula milk It's also used in medicines, such as antacids, and in food packaging.

What is it? Most killed vaccines contain a very small amount of aluminium-based adjuvant to: help to boost our immune response make the vaccine more effective and long-lasting reduce the amount of antigen needed in a vaccine sometimes reduce the number of doses that need to be given. Is it safe? Adjuvants are added to some vaccines to: help to boost our immune response make the vaccine more effective and long-lasting reduce the amount of antigen needed in a vaccine sometimes reduce the number of doses that need to be given.

Read this NHS leaflet about vaccines and porcine gelatine What is it? Gelatine derived from pigs is used as a stabilising agent in some vaccines to: help protect vaccines from the effects of heat or freeze-drying help maintain the shelf life of the vaccine The only vaccines containing gelatine in the UK routine vaccination schedule are: the shingles vaccine the children's nasal flu vaccine 1 of the 2 types of MMR vaccine.

Are they safe? Recombinant albumin does not contain any human or animal products. What are they? Children and adults with an egg allergy are advised to have either: an egg-free inactivated flu vaccine a vaccine with a very low egg protein ovalbumin content The live nasal spray flu vaccine given to children has a very low egg protein content.

There are 2 vaccines in the UK routine schedule that contain small amounts of egg protein: the flu vaccine — which is grown on hens' eggs. It can potentially trigger an allergic reaction in people with an egg allergy the MMR vaccine — which is grown on cells from chick embryos, which is not the same as hens' eggs. This means it does not trigger an allergic reaction. But tiny amounts of an antibiotic called neomycin, which is capable of triggering an allergic reaction, are found in: the MMR vaccine 6-in-1 vaccine quadrivalent inactivated flu vaccine 4-in-1 pre-school booster vaccine Repevax shingles vaccine What are they?

Antibiotics can only be found in tiny amounts in the final vaccine. Many of the diseases that we are vaccinated against when we're kids — like hepatitis B or tetanus — actually affect more adults than kids. Plus, anyone can get "kid diseases" like chickenpox, and they can be far more dangerous to teens and adults than they are to little kids. Shots could even save your life.

Hepatitis B attacks the liver and can eventually kill. The HPV vaccine can protect against several types of cancer. And scientists are constantly working on new vaccines against deadly diseases like HIV.

So which vaccines should you be getting? Doctors now recommend that teens are vaccinated against the following diseases:. You can still get a shot if you've missed it. If you've missed some shots in a series of vaccines, you don't need to get the whole series again — you can simply pick up where you left off. Some people may need more vaccines than the ones listed above.

For example, people with diseases that affect their immune system like diabetes, HIV infection, or cancer should get a pneumococcal vaccine. People who travel abroad may need to get special immunizations, depending on which country they'll be in.

Since vaccines can take a while to start working, ask your doctor well in advance which immunizations you'll need. If you're pregnant, ask your doctor if there are any vaccines you should get. Ask a parent to contact your pediatrician or family doctor so he or she can check your health records. If you've already had a disease like chickenpox, you won't need the vaccine. And if it turns out you missed one or more of the required immunizations, you can still get them from your doctor — it's never too late.

After getting a vaccination, it generally takes 10 days to 2 weeks for the body to build up immunity to a disease. Once you have a certificate from your doctor that you've had all your shots, keep it filed away so you can find it easily later. If you plan to go to college, you will need to show proof that you've had a condition or been immunized. Some jobs also require proof of immunization — for example, if you are working or volunteering in a hospital.