Most Adults Aren’t Immunized Against Serious Infectious Diseases

All adults over 60 also should be vaccinated against shingles, but just 2 percent currently are. And now there’s yet another concern—whooping cough.

“Because adults haven’t been immunized against whooping cough in years, the illness is now starting to show up in adults and so that’s why there’s been a new emphasis trying to immunize adults again,” says Sutker.

The whooping cough vaccine is given in combination with the diphtheria and tetnus booster—which you should get every 10 years.

Experts say the results of this CDC study prove not nearly enough emphasis is put on adult immunizations which can be lifesaving.

“So although it seems we’re more concerned with heart disease and cancer, I think the public needs to know that infectious diseases are still out there and are a potential cause of problems,” says Sutker.

For more information about vaccinations, talk to your family physician.

Source: Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas