BENGALURU: You are never too old to get a vaccination! It is not just for children dear Bengalureans, it is for adults as well, say experts. “Many in the city are not aware of the necessity of adult vaccination and they feel that the few vaccinations which were administered to them when they were kids were enough to protect them for the rest of their lives,” says Dr Shankar V, MD (Internal Medicine) Manipal Hospital Malleswaram and Apollo Hospital Sheshadripuram who stresses that many are not aware about the same.
Vaccination in adults is recommended for prevention of diseases such as Typhoid fever, Hepatitis A & B, Flu (including H1N1), Pneumonia and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).
As per experts, vaccines are important for those with chronic conditions, who are more likely to develop complications from certain vaccine-preventable diseases.
“These days vaccination is an important step in protecting adults against diseases. Most people believe that since they were vaccinated during their childhood, they would be immune for life. However immunity due to childhood vaccinations wears off and people may be at risk to new diseases. Also, vaccines and recommendations may change over the years. As we get older, we might also be at an increased risk of vaccine-preventable diseases due to our age, job, lifestyle, travel, or chronic health condition,” says Dr K N Manjunath, Consultant, Internal Medicine & Geriatrics, Vikram Hospital, Bengaluru.”
