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Life course vaccination and healthy aging

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Abstract

The authors notice the low vaccine coverage rate among European citizens and inventory the multiple reasons leading to the non-use of preventable infectious diseases vaccines in adults whose mortality consequences represent an important and unexpected burden of diseases. These facts are in close relation with the disruption of vaccine recommendations after the childhood vaccine program, the poor literacy knowledge concerning vaccines among the general population, but also unfortunately among physicians and other health care workers. Popular beliefs, fear of side-effects, fear of needles facilitated the constitution of active non-vaccine groups which conduct to the reappearance in non-vaccinated adults and with dramatic consequences of preventable childhood infectious diseases. This careful analysis of the current preventable infectious disease vaccine coverage in old adults leads to propose a life course vaccine programme including adult vaccinations as part of healthy aging as well as old adults’ vaccine guidelines integrated in health prevention programs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Policy and Management, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, 11203, USA

    Michael K. Gusmano PhD (Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management)

  2. Department of Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Geneva Medical School and University Hospitals, Thonex-Geneve, Switzerland

    Jean-Pierre Michel

Authors
  1. Michael K. Gusmano PhD
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  2. Jean-Pierre Michel
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Correspondence to Michael K. Gusmano PhD.

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Gusmano, M.K., Michel, JP. Life course vaccination and healthy aging. Aging Clin Exp Res 21, 258–263 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03324907

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