Coughing, sneezing, fever, and chills. Let’s not forget body aches, sleeping in the recliner and trying to sort through your medicine cabinet for cough syrup, ibuprofen and cough drops. Oh, and where did I put that humidifier? Here are a couple of ways that may help you feel not so sick or miserable this time of year. Let’s look at some of the available vaccines for older adults. We have a few good choices. The RSV vaccine is one. It helps protect against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) which is a common cause of coughs and colds. RSV usually gets better by itself but in some people, especially babies and older adults, it can cause illnesses like pneumonia and bronchiolitis (a chest infection that affects babies). Also, RSV can make some conditions worse, like people who have COPD. The vaccine is recommended for adults ages 75 and older. If you are ages 60-74 and may be at increased risk of severe RSV disease, your doctor may recommend it. It is not currently an annual vaccine like the flu shot is. So, if you have received an RSV vaccine, like last year, you should not get another one at this time. Additional data is still being collected to see how long protection will last. You can get an RSV vaccine at any time but the best time to get it would be in late summer and early fall.
Who should not get an RSV vaccine? Those who have had an allergic reaction to any component of the vaccine. Next up, flu vaccine and COVID vaccine. These are familiar to everyone. They are available for people aged 6 months and up. There is also pneumonia vaccine for people aged 65 and older. Some people with medical conditions may need to get a pneumococcal vaccine sooner. Tdap stands for Tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. This is an important vaccine for adults. Most don’t think of it around respiratory season, but it can protect against the whooping cough. You might think of whooping cough as a disease that affects infants. Adults get the vaccine to also protect infants, but adults get whooping cough, too! The Tdap or tetanus vaccine is given every 10 years. Make sure you are up to date on that one. Two more things. First, you can get multiple vaccines at one time. Second, vaccines do not prevent disease entirely, but they do prevent severe disease and help keep us out of the hospital. Hopefully, they will help you stay out of the medicine cabinet, too.