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It’s not just children who should be vaccinated. View the 2024 Adult Vaccination Schedule.

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Many people believe that vaccinations are only for children and that adults no longer need to take protective medications. Thinking like this is a big mistake. Vaccinations are an important element of health prevention not only in childhood, but throughout life.

Vaccination plays an important role in the prevention of various types of diseases. The Polish Society of Family Medicine reminds us of this in cooperation with the MY PAJENCI Foundation. Organizations have created a vaccination calendar for adults, which presents all the most important information about vaccinations in an accessible form. It takes into account the latest guidelines and recommendations – both nationally and internationally. The Adult Vaccination Schedule is intended, as we read in an announcement published by the MY PATIENTS Foundation, to “help patients, as well as doctors and nurses, communicate about vaccinations.” There is a need to develop common tools to enable more productive conversations about vaccinations. The vaccination calendar for adults is available on the website: ptmr.info.pl.

Mandatory vaccinations for adults – who do they cover?

The Protective Vaccination Program for 2024, prepared by the Chief Medical Officer, mandates vaccination of people who are particularly vulnerable to infection for clinical or epidemiological reasons. This group includes, among others, patients with chronic diseases or congenital immunodeficiencies, patients after transplants and other surgeries, medical students, and people who may have had direct contact with an infectious agent (for example, at work). The obligation to vaccinate includes taking protective drugs against:

  • diphtheria,

  • invasive infections caused by Haemophilus influenzae type B,

  • invasive infections Streptococcus pneumoniae,

  • whooping cough,

  • frequent mumps (mumps),

  • measles,

  • acute widespread infantile paralysis (poliomyelitis),

  • rubella,

  • tetanus;

  • hepatitis B virus,

  • rabies,

  • chicken pox.

The type of protective drug taken depends on what infectious agent the person has or may have had contact with. The decision about the need to administer a vaccine is made by the doctor after studying the patient’s individual health status and vaccination history.

Vaccinations are recommended for adults over 40 and 50 years of age.

Adults over 40 and 50 years of age are recommended to be vaccinated against:

  • influenza (one dose each season),

  • COVID-19 (according to the current scheme depending on the type of drug),

  • tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough (every 10 years),

  • chickenpox (in persons who have not had the infection),

  • herpes zoster (2 doses),

  • measles, mumps and rubella (applies to unvaccinated people),

  • hepatitis B virus (3 or 4 accelerated doses).

Vaccinations are especially recommended for people aged 65+.

People over 65 years of age are recommended to take protective medications against influenza, COVID-19, shingles, RSV, and pneumococci, that is, pneumonia. Elderly people are particularly susceptible to the severe course of these diseases, including due to impaired immunity or so-called multimorbidity. This term refers to the presence of more than one disease at the same time in a given patient (for example, the co-occurrence of type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis and hypertension).

Free and reimbursed vaccinations for older people

People over 65 do not have to pay for flu and COVID-19 vaccinations. Also, protective equipment for people from particularly high-risk groups is fully reimbursed. This applies in particular to people after transplantation and patients with: chronic heart, liver or lung diseases, diabetes, cochlear implantation, chronic renal failure, congenital or acquired immunodeficiency, generalized cancer, HIV infection, Hodgkin’s disease, leukemia, multiple myeloma.

From January 1, 2024, the cost of the herpes zoster vaccine is covered by 50% compensation. Elderly people in the 65+ group who are infected with HIV, have undergone a transplant, or suffer from one of the following diseases will pay less:

  • chronic heart diseases,

  • chronic lung diseases,

  • diabetes,

  • chronic renal failure,

  • congenital or acquired immunodeficiency,

  • generalized cancer,

  • Hodgkin’s lymphoma,

  • leukemia,

  • multiple myeloma,

  • rheumatoid arthritis (RA),

  • psoriasis,

  • psoriatic arthritis,

  • inflammatory bowel disease

  • ankylosing spondylitis,

  • multiple sclerosis,

  • systemic lupus erythematosus.

Contraindications to vaccination in adults

One of the most important contraindications to vaccination for both adults and children is hypersensitivity to the ingredient included in this protective drug. Vaccination should also be delayed if the patient has fever, acute inflammation, or other health problems associated with exacerbation of a chronic disease. The decision to prescribe a protective drug is made by the doctor after conducting appropriate studies. It is worth noting that a cold itself does not exclude the possibility of receiving a vaccine.

Why should adults get vaccinated?

Vaccination can often prevent or reduce illness and thereby reduce the risk of serious health complications associated with infection. These complications are often life-threatening and in some cases can lead to death.

Advances in science and medicine mean that new vaccinations are available every few years, which is a great asset, but ongoing education is needed for patients who want to know which vaccinations they should get and how often they should be repeated. Many people do not realize that some vaccinations given in childhood do not protect us for life. Education is also needed about vaccinations against viral diseases such as flu or COVID – so that they work when repeated every season, due to the fact that viruses change and mutate, Magdalena Kolodziej, President of the MY PATIENTS Foundation, emphasizes in a joint message message .

Designed by: Polina Tsivka
Source: SAMI PATIENTI Foundation, Polish Society of Family Medicine, GOV.PL
  • Patient area
  • Prevention
  • Medicines
  • Prevention and treatment
  • Treatment

Source: Wprost

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