Vaccines aren't just for kids.

Statistics, however, show adults aren't getting a number of vaccines they should receive.

Doctors say it's because their adult patients don't even think about immunizations.

Dr. James Bush, staff physician with the Wyoming Department of Health, said few patients ask for a shot.

"A 50-year-old executive comes in for a physical - immunizations are not high on his list of priorities," Bush said. "People need to get thinking that these are not just for little kids."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data last month that showed the country is in the infancy stages of developing a strong adult immunization program.

The emergence of several new adult vaccines - that treat whooping cough, shingles and cervical cancer - have highlighted the need for more awareness of adult immunizations.

The state health department has childhood vaccines under control, Bush said.

"Some kids are falling through the cracks, but we have a mechanism out there, an infrastructure to get kids vaccinated," Bush said.

Bush said the health department would be looking at strengthening its adult vaccine program.

Adults don't get vaccinated for a myriad of reasons, said Bev Dunlap, a registered nurse at Casper-Natrona County Health Department.

They don't know what is available, Dunlap said, especially if they are traveling to a foreign country. Vaccines are not high on adults' priority list, some think vaccines are dangerous and some don't realize how common these diseases are.

The county health department gives more vaccines to senior citizens than younger adults. She said seniors are more conscience of their health and see doctors more often.

"They'll read about shingles," Dunlap said. "I'm surprised we did as many shingles (vaccines). It is kind of pricey."

The health department gave 145 shingles vaccines in 2007.

Dunlap said she was disappointed the health department gave only 46 pneumonia vaccines.

Medicaid, Medicare and most private insurance companies cover these vaccines, Bush said.

Cost is an issue if people are uninsured.

Much of the responsibility falls upon physicians to alert patients to what is available and explain why the vaccines are important.

Dr. Stephan Trent, of the Community Health Center of Central Wyoming, looks at vaccines as a form of health maintenance just like mammograms, colorectal screenings and a healthy diet.

He said he doesn't demand patients get vaccines.

"I am not their keeper or their boss," Trent said. "Our job is to advise - not just say the words but get them to understand the words. Seeing a doctor is about making sure you are keeping your life in as good of shape as possible."

These vaccines aren't 100 percent effective in preventing disease from occurring, but most of the time they do. In other cases it prevents a person from getting a severe case.

Bush said only a very small percentage of people have a bad reaction.

Following indoor plumbing, Bush said vaccines are the greatest advancement in preventing disease.

"You could be in pain the rest of your life, pain no narcotic could take away," Bush said. "Do you want to spend a month coughing? It's a no-brainer."

Contact health reporter Allison Rupp at (307) 266-0534 or allison.rupp@trib.com.

Vaccine numbers

- Less than 2 percent of adults older than 60 in the United States received the shingles vaccine in the first year of sales.

- Nationally, about 2 percent of those 18 to 64 received a booster against whooping cough in the first two years.

-About 10 percent of women between the ages of 18 and 26 in the country are receiving a vaccine for human papillomavirus, which causes cervical cancer.

- In 2006, about 71 percent of adults over 65 in Wyoming received a flu vaccine and 70 percent a pneumonia vaccine.

- These state rates are slightly higher than national rates but still under the CDC's 90 percent target for flu and pneumonia vaccines.

Source: The Centers for Disease Control and the Wyoming Department of Health