Immunizations Are a Big Part of Staying Healthy

You’ve likely heard a lot about immunizations lately. It’s a good reminder to make sure you and your family are up to date on all your routine shots.

Who Needs Vaccines?

Shots aren’t just for babies or young children. We all need vaccines throughout our lives to help protect against serious diseases, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Different vaccines are recommended for children, teens and adults. The right vaccines at the right time can help keep people of all ages healthy. What vaccines you need depends on factors like age, health problems, jobs and travel. Some examples:

• Young adults ages 19 to 26 years old should get the HPV vaccine, which protects against some cancers.
• Healthy adults age 50 and older need the shingles vaccine. It also protects against complications from the disease.
• The pneumonia vaccine is recommended for older adults and all adults who have a health issue that makes their immune system weak.

Immunizations are a vital step to protect people at risk, such as the very young, the very old, and people with weak immune systems or serious illnesses. Some people who are at risk can’t get immunizations. The more people who can have vaccines get vaccinated, the better protected everyone is.

Learn about adult diseases  that vaccines can help prevent.

Germs Are World Travelers

Vaccine-preventable diseases are still around, even the ones that aren’t currently common in the U.S. And they can be spread to people who haven’t had the shots. Measles is one example. It is still common in other countries. So a traveler who hasn’t had the shot can get it and bring it back to the U.S. with them, where it may spread to others.

Are Vaccines Safe?

Before a vaccine is approved for use in the U.S., it goes through testing to make sure it is safe and works well. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) evaluates the results of clinical studies. Safety is watched during use. Like other medicines, vaccines can cause side effects. They are mostly mild.

What Vaccines Do Adults Need?

Check out our Wellness Guidelines to see the recommended vaccinations for adults.

The guidelines are available in English and Spanish in a PDF format for easy downloading or printing.

Get the latest Adult Wellness Guidelines:
English Spanish 

Children’s and Perinatal Wellness Guidelines are also available. You can see all the latest guidelines any time by logging in to Blue Access for Members^SM (BAM^SM). Click Wellness in the top navigation menu, then scroll down to Wellness Guidelines.

Adults with chronic health problems like asthma, COPD, heart disease and diabetes are more likely to get complications from certain diseases. If you have chronic health issues, make sure you know what vaccines you need.

Don’t Let Children Fall Behind

From babyhood to preschool and beyond, keeping your child healthy means following a vaccine schedule. It’s designed to protect against serious diseases, like polio, whooping cough and mumps. Those diseases can result in a hospital stay, or even death.

It’s important to make sure your child is fully vaccinated against these vaccine-preventable diseases. That means finishing the whole series of recommended shots at the right time. Studies have shown  they are safe. But veering from the shot schedule is not.

Don’t put off vaccinations for yourself or your child. Talk to your doctor if you have concerns.

Sources: Vaccine-Preventable Adult Diseases,  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2022; Six Things You Need to Know about Vaccines,  CDC, 2021; Autism and Vaccines,  CDC, 2021; About Flu,  CDC, 2021

Originally published 7/1/2020; Revised 2021, 2022