“Particular attention must be paid to immunization policies focusing on vaccinations against influenza, pneumococcus and herpes zoster, but without forgetting whooping cough and diphtheria which are returning to circulate in Europe, and tetanus whose coverage decreases over time. “HappyAgeing underlines this in its position papers ‘Adult / elderly vaccinations in the 2021/2022 season’, presented today.
“An age-related decline in immune response leads to increased susceptibility to infections and a risk of increased infectious disease severity in adults / elderly,” it reads. “This is why vaccination must become a key component of strategies aimed at promoting, together with the implementation of other preventive interventions aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle, the maintenance of good health in the long term”.
As for the flu vaccination, in Italy it is actively and free of charge to all subjects starting from the age of 60, in addition to the risk categories provided for by the National Vaccine Prevention Plan (PNPV) and implemented by the annual circulars of the ministry. of health. Despite this opportunity for prevention, the percentage of vaccinated subjects among the over 60s does not comply with the minimum and desirable threshold of 75%, despite the fact that last season a higher coverage was achieved than in previous years. Regarding pneumococcal vaccination, HappyAgeing points out that “the benefit of vaccination would be not only the prevention of infection and the most serious clinical complications but also, by reducing the use of antibiotics, a brake on the development of antibiotic resistance. In a scenario in which the pneumonia was the primary cause of deaths from Sars-COV-2, it is essential to strengthen the coverage also of the pneumococcal vaccination which, however, not to be repeated annually, can be carried out all periods of the year, beyond the appropriate occasion flu vaccination, for its active offer “.
Herpes zoster (Hz), known as ‘shingles’, also shows an incidence that increases with increasing age and / or decreased immune response. “The anti Hz vaccination strategy – suggests HappyAgeing – must therefore be supported by an adequate information campaign aimed at citizens through the studies of general practitioners. In fact, if the knowledge of shingles is generalized among the population Italian, there is still little knowledge of the vaccination opportunity “.
Two vaccines are currently available in Italy. One is a live attenuated vaccine indicated for the prevention of herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia in individuals over the age of 50, but is contraindicated in most immunocompromised populations. From this year, an adjuvanted recombinant vaccine is also available, indicated in subjects aged 50 and over and in subjects aged 18 and over at increased risk of disease.