All adults need a booster shot every 10 years. Birth date is a good guide for whether adults need to worry about these shots, which are often given in combination. Many adults have natural immunity to the diseases. A dose of measles vaccine is recommended for adults born after 1956. The mumps vaccine is also recommended for adults born after 1956 unless they have documentation of being vaccinated.
People born before then are likely to have had the disease.
The CDC recommends rubella vaccination for adults unless proof of immunity is available, either from a documented rubella vaccination or a laboratory test showing that a person has antibodies to the virus. Doctors are particularly concerned that women of childbearing age have protection against rubella because the virus can cause serious birth defects if a pregnant woman becomes infected. With influenza season fast approaching, health experts say that from now until mid-November is the ideal time to get an annual flu shot. Last winter was a relatively mild one as far as flu goes, but federal health officials aren't predicting whether this season will turn out to be better or worse. The CDC expects that three strains of influenza will circulate this winter, including one type that could hit hard among elderly people.