As Taiwan is soon to become a super-aged society, health experts yesterday encourage adults, especially people aged 65 or older, to ensure they are up to date regarding recommended vaccines.
Health experts were invited to speak at the Adult Immunization and Healthy Aging session of the Taiwan-UK Innovation for Longevity and Future Health Forum held by the British Chamber of Commerce in Taipei yesterday.
Lee Ping-ing (李秉穎), chair of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, said that while vaccination is important throughout a person’s life, many people have a misconception that only children need to get vaccinated.
Photo: Lee I-chia, Taipei Times.
Showing data from last year, he said that while all APEC economies recommend immunization schedules for children, only 67 percent of them have recommendations for all age groups, and although often neglected, adults also need to be vaccinated against preventable diseases.
In addition to recommended immunization schedules for children and adolescents, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has a list of recommended vaccines for adults, categorized into four age groups: 19 to 26, 27 to 49, 50 to 64 and 65 or older.
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a common infection among young children and older adults, but the fatality rate among people over the age of 65 is much higher, as many of them have comorbidities, so the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for all adults aged 65 or older, Lee said, adding that Taiwan began recommending and funding the vaccine this year.
The incidence rate of herpes zoster, or shingles, increases with age, and about one in three people get it during their lifetime, he said.
As an effective inactivated recombinant vaccine has been developed for shingles, the US recommends that people aged 50 or older and people who are 18 or older with certain risk factors get the vaccine, he said.
Showing CDC data, Lee said that the risk of severe influenza complications increases with age, with people over the age of 65, especially those with comorbidities, having the highest risk.
However, of those eligible for government-funded flu vaccines, people in that age group have one of the lowest vaccine coverage rates, he said.
A survey found that the main reason people hesitate to get vaccinated is because they are worried about its safety, Lee said, adding that many of their concerns are a result of exaggerated claims and misinformation, so effective communication strategies are important to raise awareness about adult vaccination.
Moreover, policymakers and the private sector must learn the importance of vaccination to secure sufficient vaccination policy funding, as it is now largely dependent on tobacco tax and a very small proportion of the government’s healthcare budget, Lee said.
Many individuals and entrepreneurs tend to donate to religious entities, charities, cancer research or other causes, but seldom to vaccination programs, he added.
National Center for Geriatrics and Welfare Research CEO Hsu Chih-cheng (許志成) said repeated communication is crucial to increase peoples’ health literacy and help them develop healthy habits.
Providing easy access can also increase the willingness of elderly people to get vaccinated, he said, citing the example of local health department’s using mobile vaccination units to set up pop-up clinics at temples to help elderly people who live in rural areas and usually need others to drive them to hospitals to get vaccinated.
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