Your top vaccine questions: which immunizations do you need?
Christina Baselga, MD is a primary care physician at Inova 360° Concierge Medicine. A board-certified internal medicine physician, Dr. Baselga is dedicated to providing high-quality, compassionate care and values the long-term relationships she builds with patients and their families while helping them manage a wide range of health needs.
August is National Immunization Awareness Month, a great reminder of the importance of vaccination for people of all ages. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a free, easy tool you can use to learn more about vaccines you may need. We also encourage you to speak with your physician at your next visit.
Each year in October, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) publishes the approved recommended vaccination schedule for the following year. These recommendations are based on multiple evidence-based analyses including:
- The burden of that disease
- The vaccine’s effectiveness and safety
- The feasibility of implementing the vaccination strategy
These recommendations are then posted on the CDC’s website for healthcare providers and patients to access.
Routine adult (19 years old and older) immunizations include:
- Seasonal flu shot every year
- Tdap or TD every 10 years
- Shingles vaccine, two doses at 50 years old or older
- Pneumococcal vaccine, one dose of either PCV20 or PCV21, or PCV15 + PPSV23 at 50 years old
- Hepatitis B, recommended for all adults 19 to 59 years old, if they have not previously been vaccinated: two or three doses depending on the specific vaccine
- COVID-19 vaccine, a two- or three-dose primary series + booster doses every six months for people 65 years old or older or immunocompromised people under 65 years old
- RSV, one dose for people 75 years or older (and for people 60 to 74 years old if at increased risk: discuss with your healthcare provider)
- Due to recent outbreaks of measles, MMR vaccine is recommended as the usual childhood vaccine series, but for persons born between 1957 and 1968, a one-time additional dose is recommended
Additional vaccinations may be recommended before traveling to certain countries and in persons with specific medical conditions. Conversations about vaccinations occur at your annual physical exam but can also be addressed as the need arises.