Adults with Special Health Conditions
Vaccines are especially critical for people with special health conditions. Vaccine-preventable diseases can be very serious for people with chronic disease, causing complications that may lead to severe illness, hospitalization, and even death. Staying up to date with vaccines is an important step in protecting your health.
Talk with you doctor to find out which vaccines are recommended for your protection based on your specific health status, age, and lifestyle.
Learn more about which vaccines you may need if you have any of these conditions:
Asplenia
If you do not have a spleen or your spleen does not work well, talk with your doctor about:
- Influenza vaccine each year to protect against seasonal flu
- Tdap vaccine to protect against whooping cough and tetanus
- Pneumococcal vaccines (both types) to protect against pneumonia and other pneumococcal disease
- Meningococcal vaccine to protect against meningitis and other meningococcal disease
- Zoster vaccine to protect against shingles if you are 60 years and older
- HPV vaccine series to protect against human papillomavirus if you are a man up to age 21 or woman up to age 26
- MMR vaccine to protect against measles, mumps, and rubella if you were born in 1957 or after and have not gotten this vaccine or have immunity to these diseases
- Varicella vaccine to protect against chickenpox if you were born in 1980 or after and have not gotten two doses of this vaccine or have immunity to this disease
Diabetes Type 1 and Type 2
If you have diabetes (Type I or Type II), talk with your doctor about:
- Influenza vaccine each year to protect against seasonal flu
- Tdap vaccine to protect against whooping cough and tetanus
- Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine to protect against pneumonia and other pneumococcal diseases
- Hepatitis B vaccine series to protect against hepatitis B
- Zoster vaccine to protect against shingles if you are 60 years and older
- HPV vaccine to protect against human papillomavirus if you are a man or woman up to age 26
- MMR vaccine to protect against measles, mumps, and rubella if you were born in 1957 or after and have not gotten this vaccine or have immunity to these diseases
- Varicella vaccine to protect against chickenpox if you were born in 1980 or after and have not gotten two doses of this vaccine or have immunity to this disease
Heart Disease, Stroke, or Other Cardiovascular Disease
If you have heart disease, stroke, or other cardiovascular disease, talk with your doctor about:
- Influenza vaccine each year to protect against seasonal flu
- Tdap vaccine to protect against whooping cough and tetanus
- Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine to protect against pneumonia and other pneumococcal disease
- Zoster vaccine to protect against shingles if you are 60 years and older
- HPV vaccine series to protect against human papillomavirus if you are a woman up to age 26 and a man up to age 21
- MMR vaccine to protect against measles, mumps, and rubella if you were born in 1957 or after and have not gotten this vaccine or have immunity to these diseases
- Varicella vaccine to protect against chickenpox if you were born in 1980 or after and have not gotten two doses of this vaccine or have immunity to this disease
HIV Infection
If you have HIV infection and your CD4 count is 200 or greater, talk with your doctor about:
- Influenza vaccine each year to protect against seasonal flu
- Tdap vaccine to protect against whooping cough and tetanus
- Pneumococcal vaccine to protect against pneumonia and other pneumococcal diseases
- Hepatitis B vaccine series to protect against hepatitis B
- HPV vaccine series to protect against human papillomavirus if you are a man or woman up to age 26 years
If you have HIV infection and your CD4 count is less than 200, talk with your doctor about:
- Influenza vaccine each year to protect against seasonal flu
- Tdap vaccine to protect against whooping cough and tetanus
- Pneumococcal vaccine to protect against pneumonia and other pneumococcal diseases
- Hepatitis B vaccine series to protect against hepatitis B
- HPV vaccine series to protect against human papillomavirus if you are a man or woman up to age 26 years
- MMR vaccine to protect against measles, mumps, and rubella if you were born in 1957 or after and have not gotten this vaccine or have immunity to these diseases
- Varicella vaccine to protect against chickenpox if you were born in 1980 or after and have not gotten two doses of this vaccine or have immunity to this disease
Liver Disease
If you have chronic liver disease, talk with your doctor about:
- Influenza vaccine each year to protect against seasonal flu
- Tdap vaccine to protect against whooping cough and tetanus
- Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine to protect against pneumonia and other pneumococcal diseases
- Hepatitis B vaccine series to protect against hepatitis B
- Hepatitis A vaccine series to protect against hepatitis A
- Zoster vaccine to protect against shingles if you are 60 years and older
- HPV vaccine to protect against human papillomavirus if you are a woman up to age 26 and a man up to age 21
- MMR vaccine to protect against measles, mumps, and rubella if you were born in 1957 or after and have not gotten this vaccine or have immunity to these diseases
- Varicella vaccine to protect against chickenpox if you were born in 1980 or after and have not gotten two doses of this vaccine or have immunity to this disease
Lung Disease including asthma
Lung Disease including asthma
- Influenza vaccine each year to protect against seasonal flu
- Tdap vaccine to protect against whooping cough and tetanus
- Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine to protect against pneumonia and other pneumococcal disease
- Zoster vaccine to protect against shingles if you are 60 years and older
- HPV vaccine series to protect against human papillomavirus if you are a woman up to age 26 and a man up to age 21
- MMR vaccine to protect against measles, mumps, and rubella if you were born in 1957 or after and have not gotten this vaccine or have immunity to these diseases
- Varicella vaccine to protect against chickenpox if you were born in 1980 or after and have not gotten two doses of this vaccine or have immunity to this disease
Renal Disease
If you have renal disease or kidney failure, talk with your doctor about:
- Influenza vaccine each year to protect against seasonal flu
- Tdap vaccine to protect against whooping cough and tetanus
- Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine to protect against pneumonia and other pneumococcal diseases
- Hepatitis B vaccine series to protect against hepatitis B
- Zoster vaccine to protect against shingles if you are 60 years and older
- HPV vaccine to protect against human papillomavirus if you are a woman up to age 26 and a man up to age 21
- MMR vaccine to protect against measles, mumps, and rubella if you were born in 1957 or after and have not gotten this vaccine or have immunity to these diseases
- Varicella vaccine to protect against chickenpox if you were born in 1980 or after and have not gotten two doses of this vaccine or have immunity to this disease
Weakened Immune System
If you have cancer or other immunocompromising conditions, talk with your doctor about:
- Influenza vaccine each year to protect against seasonal flu
- Tdap vaccine to protect against whooping cough and tetanus
- Pneumococcal vaccine (both types) to protect against pneumonia and other pneumococcal diseases
- HPV vaccine series to protect against human papillomavirus if you are a man or woman up to age 26 years
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