Update on Vaccination Guidelines for Older Adults
Update on Vaccination Guidelines for Older Adults
Vaccination is a vital component of routine preventative health. Older adults can potentially benefit most from vaccines because they have greater susceptibility to disease and associated complications. The number of infections covered and the types of vaccines available has grown significantly in recent years. Although this represents tremendous progress, it can also result in confusion and missed opportunities to provided recommended vaccinations. This review summarizes the current guidelines for vaccination of older adults and highlights the latest innovations.
Vaccination is the most effective way to combat the morbidity and mortality associated with infectious disease. Current gains in understanding of vaccines have opened a wave of innovations. This knowledge, combined with a changing epidemiology of infectious agents, has led to a rapid cycle of updates to the guidelines to keep clinical practice current with scientific progress.
Generalizing vaccine guidelines for adults and implementing them in practice is more complicated than for childhood vaccines. A range of comorbidities may affect vaccine recommendations; for instance, there are no age-specific recommendations for Haemophilus influenzae or meningococcus vaccination, although they are recommended in all asplenic adults. There is the practical hurdle of understanding payer responsibility and reimbursement, and there is the challenge of understanding the potential benefits and limitations of a vaccine. These factors make it more demanding than ever for a provider to determine quickly within the time constraints of a routine clinic visit which vaccines, if any, to administer.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP) is a body of medical and public health experts responsible for developing the guidelines that inform medical practice and public health decisions on vaccines. They meet periodically to discuss the latest data related to vaccine effectiveness and safety and publish detailed guidelines for individual vaccine-preventable disease.
Frequent updates to the guidelines combined with a complicated population can lead to missed opportunities to prevent infections. This review will summarize the current recommendations for vaccination of older adults and highlight the most recent changes in ACIP guidelines.
Abstract and Introduction
Abstract
Vaccination is a vital component of routine preventative health. Older adults can potentially benefit most from vaccines because they have greater susceptibility to disease and associated complications. The number of infections covered and the types of vaccines available has grown significantly in recent years. Although this represents tremendous progress, it can also result in confusion and missed opportunities to provided recommended vaccinations. This review summarizes the current guidelines for vaccination of older adults and highlights the latest innovations.
Introduction
Vaccination is the most effective way to combat the morbidity and mortality associated with infectious disease. Current gains in understanding of vaccines have opened a wave of innovations. This knowledge, combined with a changing epidemiology of infectious agents, has led to a rapid cycle of updates to the guidelines to keep clinical practice current with scientific progress.
Generalizing vaccine guidelines for adults and implementing them in practice is more complicated than for childhood vaccines. A range of comorbidities may affect vaccine recommendations; for instance, there are no age-specific recommendations for Haemophilus influenzae or meningococcus vaccination, although they are recommended in all asplenic adults. There is the practical hurdle of understanding payer responsibility and reimbursement, and there is the challenge of understanding the potential benefits and limitations of a vaccine. These factors make it more demanding than ever for a provider to determine quickly within the time constraints of a routine clinic visit which vaccines, if any, to administer.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP) is a body of medical and public health experts responsible for developing the guidelines that inform medical practice and public health decisions on vaccines. They meet periodically to discuss the latest data related to vaccine effectiveness and safety and publish detailed guidelines for individual vaccine-preventable disease.
Frequent updates to the guidelines combined with a complicated population can lead to missed opportunities to prevent infections. This review will summarize the current recommendations for vaccination of older adults and highlight the most recent changes in ACIP guidelines.
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