The purpose of immunisation is to provide protection against particular diseases. Some adult vaccinations can be just as important as those given to children.

Vaccines are usually given by injection (and occasionally by mouth). A vaccine actually contains a strain of the infectious organism – bacteria or virus, or sometimes a harmless version of the infecting organism’s poison (or toxiod). 

These infectious organisms have been modified just enough so you will not get sick.  When they are released in the body, the body’s fighter cells will respond and produce special fighter cells to kill the infection. The fighter cells then recognise these harmful cells and know how to kill them, so if you come in contact with the disease in the future  fighter cells will recognise and kill them before they increase or multiply and cause harm. This is called immunity.

Some of the immunisations given to adults include:

Influenza (“Flu”):  A highly contagious infection, also called influenza, is usually not serious in most healthy children and adults but it can cause serious illness, including pneumonia, in older people or those with other illnesses. Flu causes fever, chills, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, as well as headache, muscle aches, and often extreme fatigue.
Flu viruses undergo changes all the time, so a vaccine that works one year may not be as effective the next.

For this reason, you need to get a flu shot every year. They are given in the autumn, usually between October and December, before the flu season starts.

Although side effects from the flu shot are slight for most people, some people may develop soreness, redness, or swelling at the injection site for one or two days. Other side effects include headache or low-grade fever, mild fatigue and muscle aches and pains, which occur between six and 12 hours after the vaccination and last for about a day.

The flu shot is the primary method of preventing and controlling the flu.
Pneumococcal disease: It is a serious infection caused by a bacterium. It can affect many organs of the body. It causes pneumonia when it infects the lungs, but it can also cause meningitis (when it affects the coverings of the brain), septicaemia (when it affects the bloodstream).

Pneumococcal infections can be very serious but they can be treated with antibiotics.
Pneumococcal vaccine is safe and can be given at the same time as the flu shot. Like flu vaccination it should be given to all older people and many younger people with chronic diseases. It is important to have your pneumococcal  vaccine if you have previously had your spleen removed. Discuss with your GP if you think you need it.

Most people only need a single dose but people 65 and older should have a second dose of the pneumococcal vaccine if they received the shot more than 5 years previously and were younger than 65 when they were vaccinated the first time. Protection lasts for over six years in most people, although the protective value may be lost at a faster rate in elderly people than in younger adults. No one should receive more than 2 total doses of the pneumococcal vaccine.

Most people have minor side effects like pain, swelling and redness at the injection site, fever, and joint aches. Rarely, such local reactions can be severe.

Tetanus and Diphtheria: Tetanus (sometimes called lockjaw) is a disease caused by the toxin (poison) secreted by a bacterium. This bacterium lives without oxygen and infect people through wounds in the skin such as a tiny pinprick or scratch but is more likely to cause an infection through a deep puncture wound or cut like those made by nails or knives.

They are commonly are found in soil, dust, and manure. Tetanus is not spread from person to person. Common first signs of tetanus are headache and muscle stiffness in the jaw, followed by stiffness of the neck, difficulty swallowing, muscle spasms, sweating, and fever. It can be fatal. People once infected with tetanus do not necessarily develop immunity and require vaccinations after recovery. Protection usually lasts for 10 years.

Diphtheria is also caused by the toxin of a bacterium, which usually affects the tonsils, throat, nose, skin, heart, nerves, liver and kidneys. It can spread from an infected person to the nose or throat of others. It can cause breathing difficulty, hoarseness, heart failure, pneumonia, paralysis, and sometimes death.

Diphtheria may be mistaken for a severe sore throat. Other symptoms include a low-grade fever and enlarged lymph nodes in the neck, which together with the swelling of the soft tissue of the neck produce the characteristic “Bull neck” appearance. Another type of the toxin produced by this bacterium infects skin causing sores that may be painful, red, and swollen. People who develop the disease may not necessarily become immune to it, and they require vaccinations after recovery. Protection usually lasts 10 years.


Vaccination is the best way to protect you against tetanus and diphtheria. Most people receive their first vaccine as children in the form of a combined diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine or DTP. For adults, a combination shot, called a Td (“2 in 1”) booster, protects against both tetanus and diphtheria.

You need a Td shot every 10 years through-out life to protect yourself against these rare, but dangerous, illnesses. During everyday activities (such as gardening), the tetanus bacteria can enter a break in the skin and cause infection. It's particularly important to have a booster shot if you have a severe cut or puncture wound and haven't had a booster in the past 10 years. If you have had 5 tetanus shots in your lifetime, you do not need any more.


The Td vaccine is safe and effective. Most people have no problems with it. When side effects do occur, they usually are minor and include soreness, redness, or swelling on the arm where the shot was given.
Chickenpox: This viral infection, also called varicella, is highly contagious. It spreads easily through close contact with an infected people when they sneeze or cough or through contact with an infected person's chickenpox sores.


While chickenpox is a mild disease for children, adults usually get much sicker. Early symptoms include aching, tiredness, fever, and sore throat. Then, an itchy, blister-like rash appears. The fluid in the blisters changes in appearance from clear to cloudy, and then the lesions ulcerate, crust and heal.

The severity of rash varies. The most common complication is the bacterial infection of the skin lesions.  The chicken pox rash does not cause scars, however if you get a bacterial infection of this rash you may get scarring.
People who have had chickenpox are protected from getting it again. A vaccine is available to protect people who have not had chickenpox.

Most people who get chickenpox vaccine don't have problems with it. The most common side effects are mild and include pain and swelling on the arm where the shot was given. Fever or a mild rash may develop.
Some people who have had chickenpox may develop shingles later in life.

Shingles is caused by a reactivation of the same virus that produces chickenpox characterised by intense localised pain and tenderness in the area of a particular nerve, along with fever and a skin rash with blisters.

Rubella: Rubella infection during pregnancy can be very important as it can cause your baby to be born with certain abnormalities. Therefore it is important to be protected against rubella.

During (or before) pregnancy a blood test will be taken to check that you are protected against Rubella. If you are not protected your doctor may suggest that you get vaccinated after your pregnancy, so that you would be protected in any future pregnancy. Unfortunately the vaccine cannot be given during  pregnancy.


Travel: If you are planning to travel abroad, check with your GP about the shots that you need. Sometimes a series of shots is needed, so it's best to get them well in advance of your trip

Keeping a Vaccination Record:

It's helpful to keep a personal immunisation record with the types and dates of vaccines you've received, as well as any side effects or problems that you had. Your doctor should also keep a record, but it is helpful to know what vaccines you have had when you are abroad or in hospital.
Widespread use of vaccines can reduce the risk of developing a number of contagious diseases that seriously affect older people.

You can protect yourself against these illnesses by including vaccinations as part of your regular health care.