Patient education: Vaccines for adults with HIV (The Basics)

Should people with HIV get vaccines? — Yes. Vaccines are especially important for people with HIV. That's because people with HIV are at higher risk of infections than other people, and vaccines help prevent infections.

There are different types of vaccines. "Inactivated vaccines" contain dead copies of a virus. "Live attenuated vaccines" contain live but weakened copies of a virus. Most vaccines are safe and appropriate for people with HIV.

Which inactivated vaccines should I get? — If you have HIV, ask your doctor which vaccines you need.

Adults with HIV usually need the following vaccines:

●Flu vaccine – The flu can cause fever, chills, muscle aches, cough, or sore throat. The flu vaccine is also called the "influenza vaccine," or the "flu shot." People with HIV should get this vaccine every year.

●Coronavirus disease 2019 ("COVID-19") vaccine – COVID-19 is an infection caused by a virus called SARS-CoV-2. It can cause a fever, cough, and trouble breathing, along with other symptoms. Some people get severely ill from COVID-19. People with HIV should get a COVID-19 vaccine.

●Pneumococcal vaccine – Pneumococcus is a germ that can cause an infection of the lungs, ears, blood, or tissues around the brain. The "pneumococcal vaccine" is sometimes called the pneumonia vaccine. There are several different types of pneumococcal vaccines. Your doctor or nurse will tell you which vaccine or vaccines to get based on availability.

●Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccines – Diphtheria can cause a thick covering in the back of the throat that can lead to breathing problems. Tetanus causes the muscles to work abnormally. Pertussis, also called "whooping cough," is an infection that causes a severe cough. People with HIV should get vaccines against these 3 infections, if they didn't get them as a child. After that, they should get booster vaccines against diphtheria and tetanus, which also come in a single shot.

●Human papillomavirus ("HPV") vaccine – HPV is a virus that can cause genital warts and some forms of cancer. People with HIV who are 26 years old or younger should get this vaccine if they have not already had it. In some cases, doctors suggest that older people with HIV get the HPV vaccine, too.

●Hepatitis A and B vaccines – The hepatitis A and B viruses both cause a serious form of liver disease. People with HIV should get both vaccines. These can be given separately or as a combined vaccine.

●Meningococcus vaccine – Meningococcus is a germ that can cause a serious body-wide infection of the blood or an infection called meningitis, which affects the tissues around the brain. There are 2 types of the meningococcus vaccine. All adults with HIV should get 1 type of this vaccine. Some people with HIV should get the second type of vaccine, too.

●Shingles vaccine – Shingles is caused by a virus called varicella-zoster. It can cause a painful skin rash and blisters. In general, people with HIV should get the inactivated (not live) vaccine.

Which live vaccines should I get? — If you have HIV, there are certain live vaccines you can get. But you can only get them if your T cell counts are above 200. (T cells are a type of cell in the immune system. HIV lowers the number of T cells in the body.)

Most adults only need live vaccines in certain situations, like if they did not receive a vaccine as a child and they plan to travel.

What if I want to travel? — You will need to check with your doctor about which vaccines you might need based on where you are going. Most travel vaccines are safe for people with HIV, especially if their T cell counts are above 200.

Which side effects should I expect? — Most of the vaccines listed above cause soreness in the arm that usually lasts about a day. Side effects in people with HIV are similar to those in people without HIV.

More on this topic

Patient education: What you should know about vaccines (The Basics)
Patient education: Vaccines for adults (The Basics)
Patient education: HIV/AIDS (The Basics)
Patient education: Starting treatment for HIV (The Basics)
Patient education: Preventing HIV after unprotected sex or needle-sharing (The Basics)

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