Vaccines help adults and older adults stay healthy. The protection offered by some vaccines only last for a certain amount of time, so it is important to receive booster doses in adulthood to keep yourself and those around you safe.
Vaccines for adults - How to protect yourself from serious illnesses with safe and reliable vaccines (Ontario.ca)
Vaccines
Help You Age Well
The risk of developing some serious diseases like Shingles increases with age.
The older we get, the slower we recover from illness and more serious complications can occur.
Our immune system weakens as we age and having a chronic medical condition can do the same.
Vaccines can help you live longer and better.
People 65 and older can receive the following at no cost:
- Shingles vaccine – a reactivation of the chickenpox virus causing a painful rash. 1 in 5 who get shingles can have severe nerve pain lasting months or even years.
- Pneumococcal vaccines – a bacterial disease that can infect the brain, bloodstream or lungs. Spread by coughing and sneezing. People with severe immune suppressing conditions may qualify for 2 types of Pneumococcal vaccines. Having the flu increases your chances of getting pneumococcal disease.
- Whooping Cough (Pertussis) vaccine – prevents a serious bacterial infection marked by a severe hacking cough. The vaccine is combined with tetanus and diphtheria. Babies can be severely affected. Adults/grandparents who have regular contact with an infant should be immunized to protect the newborn.
- Meningococcal vaccine – Meningococcal disease is caused by a bacteria that can infect the blood, brain and spinal cord. It is spread by saliva droplets. People with severe immune suppressing conditions may qualify for this vaccine.
Every year it’s important for everyone to get their flu shot – as we age the risk of serious complications from influenza increases – so even if you get the flu – the vaccine can prevent complications.
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