OCR Text |
Show Shots, boosters don't last forever, report Vaccination shots and boosters boost-ers given to children don't last forever, as many people seem to think. Changing Times, the Kiplinger Magazine, in it's current issue includes this checklise for up-to-date protection pro-tection for adults. Tetanus. Immunity lasts three to five years and everyone every-one should get a booster that often. Smallpox. Immunity lasts about three years. Revaccina-tion Revaccina-tion is necessary for travel abroad and desirable in other special circumstances. Diphtheria. Booster shots recommended every three to four years. Polio. The length of immunity im-munity is not known. At the very least, get a booster one year after the first series of shots and consult your doctor about needs in later years. Influenza. When an epidemic epidem-ic is due or better yet, routinely each fall get the flu vaccination recommended by your doctor. Whooping cough. Adults ordinarily need immunization against pertussis if a full course of shots and boosters were taken in childhood. Otherwise, Oth-erwise, it's not too late to start. Three more, for foreign travelers, are: yellow fever a shot every six years for travel in areas where it is prevalent; typhoid fever an annual booster after a primary course of three inoculations; typhus a booster every four years after a primary course of two inoculations. |