[Pay more attention to vaccination to protect the health of the elderly].

Abstract

Vaccination has been implemented as a priority measure to control infectious diseases worldwide. The aging of the global population continues to intensify, and the process and level of aging in China are more prominent. As age increases, the immune function of people gradually declines, and the consequences of infectious diseases such as influenza, pneumococcal disease, and shingles are more severe in the elderly, which can exacerbate existing underlying diseases, leading to higher medical costs. In the process of achieving healthy aging, it is very necessary to protect vulnerable elderly people through vaccination. Despite the undeniable protective effects of the influenza, pneumococcal, and shingles vaccines for the elderly, coupled with excellent safety and significant health economic benefits, the current vaccination rates for these vaccines among the elderly in China remain low. Some factors, such as insufficient awareness of the necessity of vaccination, concerns about vaccine adverse reactions, lack of systematic and effective recommendations, and imperfect accessibility of vaccination services, affect the popularization of preventive vaccination among the elderly in China. This situation urgently calls for the attention of society as a whole, in order to maximize the role of vaccines in safeguarding the health of the elderly.