It’s that time of year when parents are scheduling back-to-school physicals and immunizations for their kids. Kids aren’t the only ones who need immunizations.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 50,000 adults die in America each year from vaccine-preventable diseases. Each of these deaths could have been avoided by relatively painless and effective immunizations.

Hugh Poindexter, M.D., family practice physician and Managing Physician of Kelsey-Seybold’s Woodlands Clinic, lists the following guidelines for adults who want to keep their immunizations current:

• People over 50 and anyone with chronic heart, lung or kidney problems should get annual influenza (flu) vaccinations. (See related story: Who Needs a Flu Shot?)

• People 65 and older and younger people with chronic health problems, such as diabetes, should be vaccinated against pneumococcal disease. Pneumococcus is the most common cause of pneumonia, accounting for some 175,000 hospitalizations each year.

• Adults who have chronic liver disease and other disorders and travelers to developing countries where hepatitis is common should have the hepatitis A vaccine.

• Adults in certain high-risk groups should receive the hepatitis B vaccine.

• Adults should get a tetanus booster every 10 years. “If you can’t remember when you had your last booster,” notes Dr. Poindexter, “you probably need another one.”

• All adults born after 1956 who have no medical history of receiving the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine should receive at least one dose. Healthcare workers, travelers and students may need a second dose.

• College-bound students, particularly those living in dormitories, are suggested to have the meningococcal vaccine, which protects against this disease of the brain and spinal cord that can cause high fever, headache, stiff neck and may even lead to death.

• Adults who never had chicken pox as a child or those not previously vaccinated should take advantage of the new varicella (chicken pox) vaccine.

“Adults can get very ill from chicken pox,” Dr. Poindexter says. “If you’re not sure whether or not you’ve had chicken pox, tell your doctor. A simple blood test will tell us whether you need the shot, which produces few side effects and can protect you from serious illness.”

The specific immunizations needed depend on several factors, such as age, overall health and past immunizations. “Talk to your doctor about making sure your immunizations are current,” Dr. Poindexter says. “These vaccines are safe and effective. As with any medicine, there are some potential side effects, but the risks associated with the diseases they protect against are far greater.”