Once your parents finished the rounds of shots required during elementary school, and for some, the HPV shots during the teen years, vaccinating likely became an afterthought.
What most people don’t realize is that with vaccines, one shot doesn’t last forever. As you age, your need to be revaccinated increases as each year passes. If you haven’t followed the schedule, here is an easy-to-follow guide on what you need to stay the course. Remember, all below recommendations should be corroborated by your doctor)
Chickenpox
Adults who never got the chickenpox vaccine when they were kids should schedule a visit with their general practitioners to get the needed two doses.
Director of Geriatrics for the New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System, Dr. Mark S. Lachs, says this about older adults getting their chickenpox shots, “In someone who has never had chickenpox, the vaccine would protect against a disease that is far more serious in adults than it is in children.” The fatality rate for adult chickenpox is 25 times higher than that for kids.
Shingles
Even if you had the chickenpox as a child, you still need to get the shingles vaccination as an adult. The varicella-roster virus (chickenpox) lies dormant in your body your entire life -- whether you got it naturally or it was injected via a vaccine. It can reactivate in your nerves decades after the initial exposure.