5 Adult Vaccines You Should Get Right Now

Health Note: This article should not take the place of advice from a medical professional. Please consult your doctor before any medical or vaccination procedures.

As a child, do you remember having to get vaccines? Believe it or not, you might need vaccines...again. Adults who got their shots back in their childhood may find that those vaccines might be wearing off, opening them up to the threat of chicken pox, whooping cough, and other illnesses that they thought they were immune to.

This health article lists 5 vaccines that you should look into getting as an adult in case your childhood vaccines have lost their efficacy. We've listed the disease, some of the symptoms, and the name of the vaccine that will protect you from that particular illness. As always, check with your primary care physician or current medical doctor to decide what works best for you, as some people might have gotten vaccines recently and don't need vaccine boosters.

1. Chicken Pox

The vaccine: Varivax

Chicken pox is usually something you associated with contagious little children in the playground. Adults can get it, too. Another way to be immune, which your mom might have tried on you before, is introducing you to someone who already has chicken pox. Ew!

2. Shingles

Vaccine: Zostavax

This is the adult form of the chicken pox, and it's horrible and can even lead to nervous system damage. The Zostavax vaccine is specially formulated for adults who want to protect themselves from the shingles.

3. The measles and mumps

Vaccine: Measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) booster

The Center for Disease Control recommends that you check to see when you were vaccinated, and to ascertain whether you need this booster as an adult. There is a special MMR booster formulated just for adults who want to protect themselves from the measles, mumps or rubella virus. One shot for all three!

4. Whooping cough

Vaccine: Tdap

Yes, this old disease is still around, and your health might be in danger. Check with your doctor to see if you need a Tdap booster so you can't get the disease, nor transmit the virus to children.

5. Other vaccinations you should check on:

- The influenza (flu) virus requires a flu shot.

- Check with your doctor to see if you need hepatitis shots as well.

- If you're traveling, especially to certain countries in Asia, you'll want a jolt of travelers' vaccines that protect you from things like typhoid.