Vaccines for adults

There are no vaccinations that are routinely offered on the NHS to all adults. However, there are several vaccinations that are available on the NHS to adults in certain ‘at risk’ groups. These are:

Flu vaccine
Protects against: flu including swine flu.
Who needs it:

• all people aged 65 years and over
• all those with a long-term health condition
• healthcare workers
• all pregnant women at any stage of pregnancy

Given: every year starting in October/November.
More on the flu jab

More on the swine flu jab

Pneumococcal vaccine (PPV)
Protects against: some types of pneumococcal infection.
Who needs it:

• people aged 65 and over
• people with a long-term health condition

Given at: any time (one injection)
More on the pneumococcal jab

Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine
Protects against: chickenpox.
Who needs it:

• healthcare workers who aren't immune
• laboratory staff who could be exposed to varicella
• healthy susceptible contacts of immunocompromised patients

Given at: any age (two doses given 4 to 8 weeks apart).
More on the varicella vaccine

Hepatitis B (hep B) vaccine
Protects against: hepatitis B.
Who needs it:

• injecting drug users (including their partners and children and other people living with them)
• people who change sexual partners frequently (including men who have sex with men, and male and female sex workers)
• close family contacts of someone with a chronic hepatitis B infection
• individuals receiving regular blood products, and their carers
• people who have chronic kidney failure
• people who have chronic liver disease
• inmates of custodial institutions and some prison service staff
• people who live in residential accommodation for those with learning difficulties
• families that foster or adopt children who may have been at increased risk of hepatitis B infection
• people travelling to, or going to live in, areas where there's a high or intermediate incidence of hepatitis B
• individuals at occupational risk, such as healthcare workers, laboratory staff and staff of residential and other accommodation for those with learning difficulties, morticians and embalmers, and some emergency services personnel

Given at: any age where needed.
More on the hep B vaccine

BCG
Protects against: tuberculosis (TB).
Who needs it:

• people at occupational risk, such as healthcare workers, some laboratory staff, people who handle animal species that are susceptible to TB, some prison staff, those working in homes for older people, staff of hostels for homeless people and facilities for refugees and asylum seekers

Given at: any age.
More about the BCG jab