Adults vaccination

Vaccination is an effective way of global prevention of infectious diseases.
Routine vaccination has been helping us protect our health and control the spread of infections for more than 200 years.
Everyone knows about routine vaccinations for children. However, vaccinations are also widely recommended for adults, as protection with some children's vaccines may disappear over time. Adults may also be at risk for vaccine-preventable disease due to your age, job, lifestyle, travel, or health conditions.
Discuss with your physician which vaccines you may need to protect your health during next visits.

Vaccination against diphtheria and tetanus

Vaccination against diphtheria and tetanus is one of the most important and highly recommended in adulthood. Because they are life-threatening and quite common, and immunity to these diseases persists for about 10 years
 According to the Vaccination Calendar, adults should get routine diphtheria and tetanus vaccinations every 10 years.
The first routine revaccination of adults who were fully vaccinated in childhood is carried out with the Td or Tdap vaccines at the age of 26. Further revaccination of Td or Tdap should be with a minimum interval of 10 years from the previous one.
If you have not been vaccinated as a child, or it is not known whether you have been vaccinated or not, you should receive at least three doses of Td or Tdap vaccine - first the first dose, a month later - the second, 6 months after the second - the third.

Vaccination against measles, rubella and mumps

Measles, rubella and mumps infections that are more common in childhood. However, these infections can occur in adulthood and they are much more difficult to tolerate and are very dangerous for pregnant women.
Therefore, adults should get their vaccine against measles, rubella and mumps if they have never been vaccinated against these diseases and there is no medical data of immunization. Firstly, before the vaccination, your physician will refer you for blood tests (for IgG to the virus or others). This is a quick and easy way to find out if you need to get vaccine.  
There are two doses of the MMR vaccine (eg Priorix) need to protect you against measles, rubella and mumps. Revaccination is not required if you received such vaccinations as a child (according to the National vaccination calendar - at 1 and 6 years).
To protect unvaccinated adults, at least one dose of MMR vaccine should be given. A second dose should be given one month later for the best protection.

Hepatitis B vaccination

Hepatitis B is a dangerous viral infectious disease.
Hepatitis B immunization protects against infection and the dangerous consequences of this infection - cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Vaccination is recommended for all adults who have not been vaccinated as children.
Your doctor may order laboratory tests to determine if you need a vaccine, such as anti-HBs (HBsAb).
The scheme of vaccination and dosage of the drug is selected by the doctor (depending on the age and medical history of the patient). One of the possible schemes: vaccination with the vaccine "Engerix-B": 3 doses according to the scheme 0-1-6 months.

Influenza vaccination

All adults are recommended to be vaccinated against seasonal flu every year, especially those who are at risk - people with chronic diseases, pregnant women, the elderly. Usually, it is necessary to make one dose of vaccine for reliable protection against the disease. Possible variants of vaccine: "Vaxigrip Tetra", "Influvak", "GC Flu".

Other recommended vaccinations

The following vaccinations are also recommended for adults, as they have already proven their effectiveness and ensure reliable safety:

• Pneumococcal vaccine (Sinflorix) protects against serious diseases such as meningitis, pneumonia or sepsis. This vaccine especially recommended for the elderly (65 years and older).
• Meningococcal infection is another dangerous infection that affects the membranes of the brain and spinal cord. Vaccination with Menaktra or Nimenrix is recommended for children, immunocompromised people, pregnant women, and microbiologists working in laboratories with pathogenic bacteria.
• Hepatitis A vaccine (Havrix) is recommended for children and adults, as well as those planning to visit countries endemic for the disease, such as Africa or South America.
• Vaccination against chickenpox (Varilrix) is recommended for all adults who have not suffered from this disease in childhood, as well as for women planning a pregnancy.
• Vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) (Cervarix, Gardasir). Human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 are responsible for approximately 70% of cervical cancers in the world, as well as causing anal and other cancers. Vaccination is recommended for all adults under the age of 26. Occasionally, there may be indications for vaccination of adults between the ages of 27 and 45, after talking to your physician about the risk of new HPV infections and the possible benefits of vaccination.
• If you are planning to travel abroad, you may need some vaccinations. To do this, you need to consult with your physician to determine from which of infectious diseases you should get vaccines. It is best to make an appointment to receive the recommended vaccines at least 4-6 weeks before the trip. Planning ahead will give you plenty of time to schedule your appointments and best protect against vaccines that may need multiple doses.

Contraindications to vaccination

Vaccination is very important for health protection. In fact, there are not a lot of conditions when vaccinations are prohibited
Absolute contraindications for vaccinations include:

• history of anaphylactic reaction to a previous dose of vaccine;
• severe immunosuppression / immunodeficiency - live vaccines are contraindicated;
• acute diseases with fever above 38.0 ° C - contraindications for routine vaccination;
• pregnancy - the introduction of live vaccines is contraindicated.