Health Promotion Recommendations

Some shots are required even for adults. Your doctor and the Center for Disease Control recommend the following immunizations for adults and children:

• Tdap - Tetanus (lockjaw), Diptheria (throat infection), and Pertussis (whooping cough) - every 5-10 years for all patients. Do this 2 years after your last booster if you work in health care or plan to be around newborn babies.


• Hepatitis A - to prevent yellow jaundice from infected food handlers or if you travel outside the U.S. (especially Mexico).


• Hepatitis B - for everyone born before 1982 or if high risk (high risk includes sexually active people not in a single long-term relationship).


• Meningitis - for all patients 11-19 years old.


• Varicella (chicken pox) - if you have never had chicken pox.


• Gardasil (HPV vaccine to prevent cancer of cervix) - for females 11-26 years old to prevent cervical cancer.


• Flu shot - every October to January.


• Pneumonia - for everyone with a chronic medical condition (diabetes, heart disease, anemia, immune diseases) or over 60 years of age.


• Zostavax -this prevents shingles. It is for everyone over the age of 60.

Please let the nurse or doctor know if you need to get up to date on your vaccines.