by Caroline Breeze

Created on: September 21, 2009   Last Updated: September 26, 2009

Imagine a 30 or 40 year old having to call in sick to work because of the measles; their (his/her) child doesn't have it, they do!

Once past the embarrassment of having contracted what is commonly considered as a child's disease then reality of the unpleasantness, risks, and symptoms of the illness hits them, not to mention all of the other repercussions from catching it such as missing that important meeting or having to postpone that urgent presentation etc.

An outbreak of measles in schools and colleges in that happened in 1989 was just an example of the fact that young adults could still be at risk of contracting the disease and how up to date immunization could have prevented or at least reduced the scope of this outbreak.

Some adults were never vaccinated as children and are unaware of this. In other cases, there are certain vaccines available today, that were not available when certain adults were children and it would be advisable to check this out with one's doctor.

Had the polio vaccine existed in US President Franklin D. Roosevelt's time, he would probably have never had to suffer the terrible disease that so severely affected him physically.

Certain people due to the very nature of their profession are constantly exposed to various diseases and if they are not immunized, and stay up to date in their immunizations, they stand very high chances of contracting them. Medical professionals and other people who work in areas where they come into contact with people suffering from contagious illnesses are examples of such people.

Other professions such as teaching, the military, volunteer services and many others, are such that people in those professions come into contact with many other people on a regular basis, some of whom may be ill or carriers of the disease and therefore be exposed to catching it themselves.

Rubella, which is highly dangerous to the fetus of pregnant women, is another preventable disease. Women who have been immunized have fewer causes to be worried about coming into contact with people who have or have been exposed to rubella should they decide to become pregnant.

Sometimes one can unknowingly catch a preventable disease from another person not necessarily through risky behavior but by pure accident or just plain bad luck. Hepatitis A is an example of such a disease.

The above are just a number of reasons stating the importance of up to date immunization for adults because the list goes on. You can find very good links to information

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