Yesterday Amy wrote "I myself have not had any vaccines since I don't even know when, surely adults would need to be boostered at some point? My doc has never suggested it." Actually, getting 'boostered' in adulthood is not a rare thing. It has a lot to do with what you do for a living. Many who go into some aspect of teaching discover that they have to be immunized against tuberculosis on a regular basis. TB is not one of the 'baby shots'. Hepatitis A and B series immunizations are given in childhood, but again, occupation is very important. My husband repairs giant industrial pumps, some of which pump (ick) human sewerage. As a result, he had to get his Hep A and B series all over again, and that's danged expensive! The government heavily subsidises the cost of 'baby shots', but once you're over 18, you are on your own. Many people learn that financially painful lesson when they apply for college, and learn that they are missing a shot. Colleges and universities can't let you in without a complete set. Far more common than the discovery that you have somehow inadvertantly 'missed a shot' is bad record keeping, which could require extensive reimmunization before you can start classes. In most states (if not all by now) getting married gets you 'boostered' for rubella, if you are a woman. The state requires a blood test to see if you still have immunity from your two baby shots. If not, you get it again. Rubella can cause horrific birth defects. It pays to be sure before you try to start a family. It is very common for people to get 'boostered' for tetanus, as well. If you show up at a doctor's or a hospital with, say, a rusty nail sticking out of your foot and you have no idea when your last tetanus shot was, or it has been more than ten years since your last one, you will get another. These are just some common examples. As for a doctor's knowledge of your immunization history, it is often a spotty thing with adults. Records have a way of disappearing over the years, especially with transfers from one doctor to another. Think about it. Do you even know the name of your pediatrician? He or she was only required to keep your records for seven years after your last visit, nine if you were a minor at the time of your last visit. Schools have to keep them on file, but again, only for a set number of years. Does having this record really matter, I mean, everybody gets their baby shots, right? Wrong. Did you drop out of school young? That means the school no longer had any obligation to the state to see that you were properly immunized. If your parents didn't keep on top of it for one reason or another, you may well be missing some 'baby shots' that are typically administered at ages anywhere from the years "thirteen through eighteen", as suggested by the Recommended Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule. That's a federal thing, but it's the states who track immunizations, and they do it primarily through schools. No school, nobody is necessarily keeping track. This is one of the 'hidden costs' we pay for our kids dropping out. Most people never think of it, but I guess it's the last thing on your mind when your seventeen year old decides he's too smart for school. Why do I know this junk? Because I work with peoples medical records. And I read in them the sometimes terrible price we pay for not immunizing our kids. They're all our kids. They are all beautiful. Please make sure they get their shots, even if they are seventeen and driving you mad because they just dropped out of the eleventh grade. Alexandra in MA (Getting off her soap box now) [Posted in FML issue 4645]