Most adults know about the flu shot and assume that is the list. It isn’t. There is a full adult immunisation schedule — shingles from 50, pneumococcal, RSV for older adults, tetanus every ten years, and several catch-up vaccines many people never received. Vaccine-preventable illness in adults causes far more hospitalisation than most people realise, and our community skews older than the state average, which raises the stakes locally.
Bring your vaccination record — or as much of it as you have — to your next appointment and we will work out what you are missing.
The adult schedule, roughly
| Vaccine | Who | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Influenza | Everyone, annually | Ideally by end of October; reformulated each year |
| COVID-19 | Per current recommendation | Guidance is revised regularly — ask us |
| Tdap / Td | Every 10 years | One dose should be Tdap; and in every pregnancy |
| Shingles (Shingrix) | Adults 50+ | Two doses. Recommended even if you have had shingles or the older vaccine |
| Pneumococcal | Adults 50+, and younger with risk conditions | The age threshold was lowered from 65 |
| RSV | Adults 75+, and 60–74 with risk factors | Also offered in pregnancy to protect newborns |
| HPV | Through 26; discuss up to 45 | Prevents cervical and several other cancers |
| Hepatitis B | Adults 19–59, and 60+ with risk factors | Many adults were never vaccinated |
| MMR, varicella | If not immune | Especially important before pregnancy and for healthcare workers |
Additional vaccines apply if you are pregnant, immunocompromised, travelling internationally, or work in healthcare.
The ones adults most often miss
Shingles. If you had chickenpox — almost everyone born before the mid-1990s did — the virus is still dormant in your nerves. Shingles is a genuinely miserable illness, and its main complication, post-herpetic neuralgia, can mean months or years of nerve pain. The current two-dose vaccine is highly effective. It is worth having even if you have already had shingles once, because you can get it again.
Pneumococcal. Pneumonia is what turns a bad case of influenza into a hospital admission, and the recommended age dropped to 50. If you are over 50 and nobody has offered it, ask.
Tdap. Most adults cannot remember their last tetanus shot, which usually means it is due. Beyond tetanus, the pertussis component matters — whooping cough circulates in adults as a prolonged cough, and adults are how infants get infected. If there is a new baby in the family, this is the vaccine to check.
RSV. New, and not yet on most people’s radar. In adults over 75 it causes serious illness comparable to influenza.
Myths, addressed directly
“The flu shot gives me the flu.” It cannot. The injected vaccines contain no live virus. A sore arm, mild ache, or tiredness for a day is an immune response, not an infection. What does happen: people are vaccinated in autumn, when plenty of other respiratory viruses are circulating, and attribute the next cold to the shot.
“I got vaccinated and still got sick, so it doesn’t work.” Influenza vaccine typically reduces your chance of illness moderately, and reduces severity and hospitalisation substantially. Preventing a hospital admission is the win, even when it does not prevent a miserable week.
“Vaccines cause autism.” They do not. The original 1998 study making that claim was retracted and its author lost his medical licence; very large studies across multiple countries have found no association. This is one of the most thoroughly investigated questions in medicine.
“Natural immunity is better.” Infection sometimes produces strong immunity — at the cost of having the disease, which for measles, pertussis, tetanus, and pneumococcus can mean permanent harm or death. Vaccination offers the protection without the gamble.
“Too many vaccines overwhelm the immune system.” Your immune system handles vast numbers of antigens daily. The entire childhood schedule contains a tiny fraction of what a single cold presents.
“They contain dangerous ingredients.” Thimerosal was removed from routine childhood vaccines over two decades ago, and studies found no harm from it regardless. Aluminium adjuvants have been used safely for decades in quantities far below what we get from food and water.
“I’m healthy, so I don’t need them.” Healthy adults are exactly who transmits infection to infants, elderly relatives, and people on chemotherapy. And healthy people get shingles and pneumonia too.
“It’s too late in the season.” If influenza is still circulating, vaccination still helps. February is better than never.
Who should be careful
Real contraindications exist and are worth taking seriously: a severe allergic reaction to a previous dose or a vaccine component; live vaccines are generally avoided in pregnancy and significant immunosuppression. If you have had a bad reaction before, tell us — there are usually alternatives. A current fever means postponing by a week or two, not cancelling.
Local notes
Snowbird season is flu season. Hundreds of thousands of seasonal residents arrive from October, which is precisely when transmission increases. If you are a seasonal resident, get vaccinated before you travel — it takes about two weeks to take effect and is far easier to arrange at home.
We have an older community. Age is the single biggest risk factor for severe outcomes from influenza, pneumococcus, shingles, and RSV. The adult schedule matters more here than the national averages suggest.
Where to go
Book our Medical Clinic for vaccinations and for a record review — we will tell you what you are due. Call (602) 671-7981.
Come to our Emergency Room for a wound needing tetanus cover, or for severe illness — open 24 hours: (602) 671-7990. And for a severe allergic reaction after any vaccine, use an adrenaline auto-injector if prescribed and call 911.
Related: cold and flu season in Arizona · your annual health checklist
Sources
- CDC — Adult immunisation schedule
- CDC — Shingles vaccination
- CDC — Vaccine safety
- Immunize.org — Vaccine information for adults