Vaccines are helping older people more than we knew
The Seattle Times••general
Key Points:
- Vaccinations for shingles, RSV, and influenza provide strong primary protection for older adults, significantly reducing risks of painful illness, hospitalization, and severity of infection.
- Emerging research highlights off-target benefits of vaccines, such as reduced risks of dementia, cardiovascular events, and long COVID, suggesting vaccines promote healthy aging beyond their intended diseases.
- Despite these benefits, vaccination rates among older Americans remain low, with significant portions unvaccinated against flu, RSV, pneumococcal disease, and COVID-19, increasing their vulnerability to serious health complications.
- Observational studies show strong associations between vaccines, especially shingles and pneumococcal vaccines, and lower dementia rates, though causality is not definitively established due to potential healthy volunteer bias.
- Experts
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