Vaccinations in adulthood are crucial, especially among frail subjects and the elderly most exposed to infections, to avoid deaths and serious forms of disease. This is the appeal made during the meeting “Investing in the future: vaccine prevention as a driving force for health, well-being and sustainability”, which was held at the Ministry of Health.
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We need to promote the culture of vaccination
“The importance of vaccinations for the adult and elderly population is a theme at the heart of the policies conducted by the Ministry of Health to protect public and individual health, with an active, free and homogeneous vaccination offer throughout the national territory” he declared the Minister of Health, Horace Schillaci. «Italy is among the European states with greater longevity and further aging of the population is expected in the future, which brings with it an increase in chronic diseases and a loss of autonomy which mainly affects the elderly with lower incomes. Promote the culture of vaccination through targeted communication campaigns, it represents an important element in protecting the health of the elderly”.
Attention to vaccines, with particular attention to the population over 60 and immunosuppressed subjects, therefore goes beyond Covid and the flu. There are indeed some viral and bacterial infections that can be effectively prevented. Vaccines against pneumococcus, antimeningococco e Herpes Zoster they represent a great opportunity against pathologies with serious consequences and intervening in the limitation of these infections can be an additional weapon in the fight against antibiotic resistance which represents the most significant threat of the coming decades.
Seniors: The only way to prevent flu, pneumonia and shingles is vaccinations
«We have irrefutable data on infectious diseases, such as influenza, pneumococcus and Herpes zoster, which can be very dangerous for the elderly and especially for frail subjects. There are vaccines, they are effective and we just have to do a great job: convince those directly involved, but also the doctors, to increase coverage as much as possible» he comments Charles Signorelliprofessor of Hygiene and Public Health at the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Milan and president of the national technical advisory group on vaccinations.
«According to our survey conducted in March on a sample of about 1,400 over 65s to analyze the perception that the elderly population has with respect to vaccinations – not only the flu vaccine but also those that prevent pneumococcal infections or fire of Sant’Antonio for example – it emerged a good level of general knowledge but there are still some unmet needs, especially with regard to easier access to vaccines close to home,” he warns Roberto Messina, Senior President Italy FederAnziani. “Elderly people, in fact, would prefer to go to their family doctor to undergo vaccinations, rather than having to go to vaccination centres, often far from their home”.
