Vaccinations for Asthma

Overview
People with asthma are at greater risk of serious complications from influenza (the flu), such as pneumonia and other respiratory conditions, and COVID-19. Vaccination offers the best protection from these conditions.

What does it involve?
People with asthma should receive several vaccines at later points in life.
The tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis vaccine (Tdap) is given every 10 years. The pertussis component is one of the most important for people living with asthma. Pertussis is a serious respiratory illness that can cause pneumonia even in healthy individuals, and those with asthma are at greater risk of complications.

People with asthma should also receive a seasonal influenza shot. Those with asthma are at higher risk of developing complications from the flu. It’s important to get a flu shot each year in September or October, before the flu begins spreading widely. Flu season typically begins in October and peaks between January and March. The vaccine takes about two weeks to become fully effective, and it cannot infect you with the influenza.

The pneumococcal vaccine protects against pneumococcal disease, including pneumonia, meningitis, and bloodstream infections. These illnesses are caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria, or pneumococcus, which can also cause sinus and ear infections. The pneumococcal vaccine typically needs to be given only once.

The COVID-19 vaccine can help protect people with asthma from developing this highly contagious, viral respiratory disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention includes asthma in its list of underlying medical conditions that put people at higher risk of severe illness if they get COVID-19. The Allergy & Asthma Network encourages people with asthma to get vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19, as long as they aren’t allergic to the vaccine itself or any of its ingredients.

For more details about this treatment, visit:

Vaccine Information for Adults: Lung Disease Including Asthma and Adult Vaccination — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/adults/rec-vac/hea...

Vaccines and Asthma or Allergies — Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
https://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-e...

Do Vaccines Cause Asthma? — Institute for Vaccine Safety
https://www.vaccinesafety.edu/do-vaccines-cause...

Flu & People With Asthma — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/highrisk/asthma.htm

COVID-19 Vaccine and Asthma: What You Need to Know — Allergy & Asthma Network
https://allergyasthmanetwork.org/news/covid-vac...

People With Certain Medical Conditions — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-...