It’s common practice for children to roll up their sleeves, but did you know it’s recommended that adults go under the needle as well? Dr. Monika Naus, Medical Director of Immunization Programs and Vaccine Preventable Diseases Service at B.C. Centre for Disease Control in Vancouver, says that staying on top of your immunizations is key to a healthy adulthood. "Immunizations are the best protection against a variety of infectious diseases," she says. Not only do some childhood immunizations lose effectiveness as we age, but our lifestyle choices, age, jobs, foreign travel, sexual partners — even chronic medical conditions — can place us at a higher risk for certain diseases. But when and how should you protect yourself?

The seventh edition of the Canadian Immunization Guide, a publication created by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) and the Public Health Agency of Canada contains recommendations for adult immunizations. Check with your doctor to see if the following vaccines are offered free, or for a fee by your province or territory’s health care system.