Adult vaccination

Abstract

Vaccination of children has had a major impact on the morbidity and mortality of many infectious diseases globally. However, with age, immune responses to vaccines can be less robust, which can be further enhanced by underlying diseases that are common in the older adult. In many countries around the globe booster vaccinations against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis are recommended for adults. For the older adult, vaccination against pneumococcal diseases, influenza and herpes zoster are also recommended. Despite these recommendations, the widespread use of these vaccines in the adult population clearly lags behind the vaccine uptake and successes documented for pediatric vaccination programs. Furthermore, extensive and sometimes inappropriate use of antibiotics have fostered the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (e.g., methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)) as well as increased susceptibility in the elderly to bacterial species such as Clostridium difficile. Infectious diseases remain an important unmet medical need and new concepts to successfully implement vaccination of adults are urgently needed.

Keywords: Clostridium difficile; Staphylococcus aureus; infectious disease; pneumococcal disease; vaccine.

Figure 1. Projected future growth of the older population. This chart shows the percent of the population 65 and older increasing from 4 percent in 1900 to 12 percent in 2000 and projected to be 20 percent in 2050. It also shows the percent of the population 85 and older increasing from 0.2 percent in 1900 to 1.5 percent in 2000 and projected to be 4.3 percent in 2050. Graph is adapted from the Administration on Ageing, Health and Human Services.