Vaccination rates among children have been declining in recent years according to the CDC. But what about adults who lack some of the basic shots?
“It’s never too late to catch up on vaccines you might have missed as a child,” says Bradley Centala, PA, a physician assistant at Henry Ford Health. “You can do it slowly, and, depending on your vaccination status, you may not have to start from scratch."
Learn how, and why, to catch up on missed vaccines to ensure you’re protected from preventable diseases.
Common Reasons for Missed Vaccines
Many people reach adulthood without having received some, or even all, of the recommended childhood vaccines. “There are several that you’d typically receive as a baby or very young child, so whether or not you got them was entirely out of your control,” says Centala.
You may have fallen short on vaccines for a variety of reasons. Some common ones include:
- Financial barriers: Lack of health insurance as a child may have resulted in fewer doctor visits and gaps in your vaccine schedule.
- Lack of access: Depending on where you lived, it may have been difficult to access regular medical care and stay up to date on vaccines.
- Parental attitude toward vaccinations: If your parents declined vaccinations due to personal, religious or medical beliefs, you may have missed some or all of the recommended immunizations.
Why It’s Important to Get Missed Vaccines
Many of the vaccines typically recommended during childhood help protect you from illnesses that are still problematic in adulthood. If you have health conditions such as respiratory issues or heart disease, you are at higher risk of getting seriously ill from those illnesses as an adult.
But protecting your own health is only half the story. “Being fully vaccinated against illnesses such as measles and pertussis (whooping cough) is important for protecting the community and helping boost herd immunity,” explains Centala. “You’re also protecting those too young to get vaccinated, people who are immune compromised and others who cannot get immunized.”
Completing Missed Vaccine Series
The good news is that if you received some vaccines in childhood, you may only need some additional doses to get up to date.
“If you’ve had a partial series of shots, such as for the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine, you just need to get whichever ones you missed to complete the series,” says Centala. If you have access to your vaccination records, bring them to your doctor to help determine what you’re missing.
If you don’t know your vaccination history, that’s okay. “For some diseases—like measles and hepatitis B—we can do a blood test to check for antibodies that indicate you had the vaccine,” explains Centala. Even without testing, Centala says it’s safe to re-dose and even repeat an entire vaccine series.
Key immunizations to get if you missed them in childhood include:
- Hepatitis B
- HPV (human papillomavirus)
- MMR
- Tdap (for tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis)
- Varicella (chickenpox)
Staying Up to Date on Vaccines
Get Your Flu Shot
Regardless of which vaccines you did or didn’t get previously, there are others you’ll want to pay attention to moving forward. “Everyone should get an annual flu shot (unless it’s contraindicated for you),” says Centala. “And, depending on your age and risk factors, there are other important vaccines to consider.”
Important immunizations that are recommended during adulthood include:
- COVID-19
- Influenza
- Pneumonia
- RSV (respiratory syncytial virus)
- Shingles
Talk to Your Doctor About Vaccine Catch-Up Schedules
Whether you’re missing all, some or just a couple of immunizations, it’s important to talk to your doctor about delayed or missed vaccines. They can advise you on a safe and appropriate vaccine catch-up schedule to follow.
“You don’t really age out of needing any of them,” says Centala. “But the sooner you do it, the better protected you are.”
Reviewed by Bradley Centala, PA, a physician assistant who sees patients at Henry Ford Family Medicine-Allen Park.
