1. Vaccines Have Saved Lives for Over 100 Years—But Serious Disease Is Still a Threat

People all over the world—including in the United States—still become seriously ill or even die from diseases that vaccines can help prevent. It is important that you stay up to date on recommended vaccines. The best defense against many infectious diseases is to get vaccinated.

2. Vaccines Are the Best Way to Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones from Preventable Disease

By getting vaccinated, you can protect yourself and also avoid spreading preventable diseases to other people in your community. Vaccines help your body create protective antibodies—proteins that help it fight off infections. You are less likely to get and you are less likely to get others sick.

3. Vaccines Can Prevent Serious Illness

Some vaccine-preventable diseases can have serious complications or even lead to later illnesses. For them, vaccination provides protection not only against the disease itself but also against the dangerous complications or consequences that it can bring. For example:

• Seasonal influenza (flu) is a respiratory virus that sickens tens of millions of people every year in the United States. The annual flu vaccine helps you avoid infection and reduces your chances of being hospitalized or dying if you do become infected. Flu vaccine also protects you from flu-related pneumonia and flu-related heart attacks or stroke—complications that can affect anyone but are especially dangerous for persons with diabetes or chronic heart or lung conditions.
• Hepatitis B is a serious, potentially deadly infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). There is no cure, but vaccination prevents HBV infection as well as the chronic liver damage and cancer that hepatitis B can cause.

4. The Vaccines You Receive Are Safe

Vaccine safety is a high priority. The vaccines we have in the United States are safe and have been rigorously tested.  The CDC and other experts carefully review safety data before recommending any vaccine, then continually monitor vaccine safety after approval.

Vaccines can have side effects, but most people experience only mild side effects—if any—after vaccination. The most common side effects are fever, tiredness, body aches, or redness, swelling, and tenderness where the shot was given. Mild reactions usually go away on their own within a few days. Serious or long-lasting side effects are extremely rare, and vaccine safety is continually monitored.

5. Vaccines May Be Required

Adults who live together in rehabilitation or care centers need to be vaccinated against diseases that circulate in close quarters. If one person gets infected in these close quarters, they can get sick and infect many others in the same setting.

1. COVID-19

COVID-19 vaccines available in the United States are effective at protecting people from getting seriously ill, being hospitalized, and dying. The CDC recommends you receive your primary COVID-19 vaccine as 2 doses and 1 updated bivalent booster 6 months later. The updated bivalent booster now protects against the original virus that causes COVID-19 and the Omicron variants.

It is very important that older adults and people with weakened immune systems (immunocompromised conditions) receive the updated bivalent booster as these individuals are at higher risk of infection with the COVID-19 virus.

On Feb. 28, 2024, the CDC recommended adults ages 65 years and older to receive an additional updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine dose. The recommendation acknowledges the increased risk of severe disease from COVID-19 in older adults, along with the currently available data on vaccine effectiveness. Click here to read more.

2. Seasonal Flu (Influenza)

All adults need a seasonal flu (influenza) vaccine every year. Flu vaccine is especially important for people with chronic health conditions and older adults. The flu vaccine is updated every year to provide protection against circulating viruses.

3. Shingles

Almost 1 in 3 people in the United States will develop shingles in their lifetime. Your risk of shingles increases as you grow older. Shingles causes a painful, itchy rash that crusts over and can last for 2 to 4 weeks. It can be followed by severe pain that can continue even long after their rash clears up (called post-herpetic neuralgia) or they may suffer from other painful complications that could persist for years.   

Shingles vaccine, protects against shingles and the complications from the disease. Shingles vaccine is recommended for healthy adults 50 years and older.

4. Pneumococcal Vaccine

Pneumococcal disease is caused by bacteria and can range from ear and sinus infections to more serious lung and blood infections. When pneumococcal bacteria spread from the nose and throat to ears or sinuses, it generally causes mild infections. When the bacteria spread into other parts of the body, it leads to severe health problems, such as infections of the lungs (pneumonia), blood (bacteremia), and the lining of the brain and spinal cord (meningitis). In some cases, pneumococcal disease can be life-threatening or result in long-term problems, like brain damage, hearing loss, or loss of arms or legs.

Pneumococcal vaccine protects against serious pneumococcal disease and pneumonia and is recommended for all adults 65 years or older.  Older adults have a higher risk of developing pneumonia if they get pneumococcal disease.

5. Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B vaccine protects from hepatitis B which causes a flu-like illness with loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, rashes, joint pain, and jaundice. The virus stays in the liver of some people for the rest of their lives and can cause serious health problems including liver damage, cirrhosis, liver cancer, and even death.

Hepatitis B vaccine is recommended in adults 60 years or older with risk factors, such as chronic liver disease, HIV infection, sexual exposure risk, injectable drug use, incarceration, travel to countries with high or intermediate hepatitis B risk.  Adults over 60 years without any known risk factors can receive hepatitis B vaccine.

More information about recommended vaccines is available through the CDC.  Please click here for access to the Vaccine Information Sheets.

The United States has safe, rigorously tested vaccines go through a careful review and approval process before they become available. 

Vaccines can have side effects, but most people experience only mild side effects—if any—after vaccination. The most common side effects are fever, tiredness, body aches, or redness, swelling, and tenderness where the shot was given. Mild reactions usually go away on their own within a few days. Serious or long-lasting side effects are extremely rare, and vaccine safety is continually monitored.

Vaccine Information Sheets outline safety information for each vaccine. Please click here for access to the Vaccine Information Sheets.

Vaccines may be available at private doctor offices, pharmacies, workplaces, community health clinics, health departments or other community locations, such as schools and religious centers.

Click here to find a vaccine clinic near you. 

Seasonal flu, COVID-19, pneumococcal vaccines and Hepatitis B are covered by Medicare Part B and can be given at private doctor offices as well as health centers, pharmacies, health departments, and vaccine clinics. Shingle vaccines are covered by Medicare Part D and are available at pharmacies and vaccine clinics. Most of these vaccines are available free of charge for people with Medicare coverage, but may need authorization on eligibility and coverage.