WebMD Medical News Laura J. Martin, MD Nov. 17, 2010 --
Vaccinations aren't just for kids. Adults need them, too, and
while vaccination rates are increasing, there's definitely room
for improvement, according to public health experts. At a news
conference today hosted by the National Foundation for
Infectious Diseases (NFID), experts released new CDC data,
spelled out areas that need improvement, and discussed how to be
proactive at the doctor's office. Thanks to vaccines, ''we see
only a fraction of the disease, death and suffering'' as in
years past, says Susan J. Rehm, MD, the medical director of the
NFID who opened the news conference. "But there are lower
vaccination rates in adults," she says. "Skipping your vaccines
is not all about you, it's about people around you. We are
talking about preventable illness and preventable death." At the
conference, the CDC released new data on 2009 adult vaccination
coverage. ''For most adults, coverage isn't as high as we'd like
it to be," says Melinda Wharton, MD, M