Vaccines: Guidelines & Recommendations

Vaccines offer our best protection against severe illness from respiratory diseases.

Vaccines help protect against more than 20 life-threatening diseases—including infectious respiratory diseases. For decades, vaccines have saved millions of lives and greatly reduced the spread of deadly diseases all over the world. Staying up to date with recommended vaccines is the best way to help protect yourself, those you love, and your community from infectious respiratory disease. Learn more about the vaccines available to protect against infectious respiratory disease.

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COVID-19

Who needs to be protected?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone 6 months and older, including pregnant people, stay up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines. Age is the biggest risk factor, but your risk of severe illness from COVID-19 also increases if you have certain health conditions, such as diabetes, kidney disease, cancer, and more. People from vulnerable communities, such as racial and ethnic minority groups and those living in rural areas, may also be at increased risk.

What COVID-19 vaccines are available?
Three COVID-19 vaccines are available in the U.S., including two mRNA vaccine options (Moderna and Pfizer) and one protein-based vaccine option (Novavax).

Many pharmacies offer a range of vaccines. Visit vaccines.gov to find a pharmacy near you.

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Influenza (Flu)

Who needs to be protected?
Everyone is vulnerable to the flu, and the best way to help prevent it is by getting vaccinated. CDC recommends that everyone—with rare exceptions—6 months and older, including pregnant people, receive an updated flu vaccine each year. According to CDC, flu vaccines reduce the risk of severe disease by about 50%.

What flu vaccines are available?
Several types of flu vaccines are available. Depending on age and other factors, you may be recommended to receive a particular type of flu vaccine. Approved options include inactivated injectable, recombinant injectable, live attenuated nasal spray, high-dose, and adjuvanted flu vaccines.

Some types of flu vaccines are not recommended for older adults, pregnant people, or individuals who have certain health conditions, so check with a healthcare provider to choose the right option for you.

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Pertussis (Whooping Cough)

Who needs to be protected?
CDC recommends that everyone — including infants, children, preteens, adults, and pregnant people — stay up to date with their whooping cough vaccines.

Because whooping cough is particularly dangerous for babies, vaccines are important for anyone who is around babies, including parents, siblings, grandparents, caregivers, and friends of the family.

What whooping cough vaccines are available?
There are two types of combination vaccines available to protect individuals from whooping cough and the vaccine you receive depends on age. Children younger than 7 years of age receive DTaP, while older children and adults receive Tdap. DTaP and Tdap vaccines also protect against diphtheria (“d”) and tetanus (“t”).

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Pneumococcal Disease

Who needs to be protected?
The best way to help prevent pneumococcal disease is to get vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the following groups stay up to date with their pneumococcal disease vaccines:

• Children younger than 5 years
• Children 2 through 19 years with certain risk conditions including chronic heart, liver, kidney and lung disease (including some cases of asthma), cochlear implants, and others
• Adults 19-64 years old with certain risk conditions, including chronic heart, liver, and lung disease, diabetes, cigarette smoking, and others
• Adults 65 years or older

What vaccine options are available?
CDC recommends two types of pneumococcal vaccines, pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) and pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccines (PPSVs), based on age and past pneumococcal vaccination history. Talk to a healthcare provider to determine whether you should get a pneumococcal vaccine and which vaccine is right for you.

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Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)

Who needs to be protected?
The best way to help prevent RSV is to get vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends protection against RSV for the following groups:

• Infants and young children
  • CDC recommends either maternal RSV vaccination or infant immunization to help prevent severe illness from RSV in infants and young children.
    • CDC recommends that pregnant people receive an RSV vaccine between 32–36 weeks of pregnancy during RSV season (typically September through January*) to protect their infants at birth.
      • If a child’s mother does not receive an RSV vaccine during pregnancy, CDC recommends giving a preventive antibody to the newborn after birth.
• Older adults
  • CDC recommends a single dose of RSV vaccines for:
    • All adults age 75 and older
    • Adults ages 60-74 who are at increased risk of severe illness from RSV (such as those with chronic heart or lung illness or those who are residents of long-term care facilities)

*RSV season can vary around the country. If you live in Alaska, Florida, or outside the continental U.S., talk to a healthcare provider about when RSV season is expected where you live.

What vaccine options are available?

• For older adults:
  • Three RSV vaccines are available to help prevent RSV.
• For infants:
  • One maternal RSV vaccine is available to help prevent RSV in infants through vaccination during pregnancy.
  • A preventive antibody, nirsevimab, is available for:
    • Infants under 8 months born during or entering their first RSV season, if the mother has no or unknown RSV vaccine history, or the RSV vaccine was received less than 14 days prior to birth.
    • Young children 8–19 months who are at increased risk for severe illness from RSV and entering their second RSV season.