September 24, 2010, 6:01 pm Vaccinations for Grown-Ups

By TARA PARKER-POPE Many adults fail to get recommended vaccinations.
So when is the last time you went to the doctor to get shots?
Government health officials recommend that adults 19 and older receive immunizations against as many as 14 infectious diseases, reports Lesley Alderman in today’s Patient Money column. But many adults don’t bother to get them. She writes:
Why are adults so behind on vaccinations? For one thing, the shots can be expensive (from $20 to $200 per dose for some, and some require three doses). But a bigger part of the problem is a lack of awareness. Doctors often fail to remind patients that they require booster shots, and consumers are not well informed about the need.
In a 2007 survey by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, 40 percent of respondents incorrectly claimed that if they had vaccines as a child, they did not need them again; 18 percent said vaccines are not necessary for adults.
To learn more about the vaccines recommended for adults and how health care legislation should lower the cost of getting them, read the full column, “Cost and Lack of Awareness Hamper Adult Vaccination Efforts,” and then please join the discussion below.