Draft

The Need for a Lifelong Vaccination Strategy in An Ageing Population

IFA Expert Dr Mine Durusu-Tanriover is a consultant of acute care in Ankara, Turkey and Professor of Internal Medicine at Hacettepe University.

Dr Durusu-Tanriover notes that people with chronic disease are frequently admitted to the hospital due to vaccine preventable diseases such as influenza and pneumonia, despite the availability of vaccines.

Last year, none of the EU member states achieved the target of 75% for vaccinating at-risk groups such as older people and those with chronic disease with the influenza vaccine, according to a report released by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

Dr Durusu-Tanriover also notes the alarmingly low rates of pneumococcal vaccination uptake amongst at-risk groups, emphasizing the necessity of creating a lifelong vaccination strategy for an ageing population.

"We have a very big problem in vaccinating patients with chronic diseases. We're not reaching the goals. (…) At a global level, we have to share positive messages [about adult vaccination] (…) But in order to solve the problems, we have to act on the local basis, inside the community." - Dr Durusu-Tanriover

As a researcher in adult vaccination for close to ten years with over 40 peer-reviewed articles, the IFA was proud to have Dr Durusu-Tanriover participate in the 14th Global Conference on Ageing, where she presented on a plenary panel, Not Just for Kids: Supporting Healthy Ageing through Vaccination in At-risk Groups, that contextualized the intervention of adult vaccination in healthy ageing.

The IFA’s Adult Vaccination Program aims to help build a world where healthy ageing and functional ability of older people are maintained. Intrinsic to this focus is improving the uptake rates of adult vaccination by understanding local barriers and building the capacity of in-country collaborators to influence policy. Contact experts like Dr Durusu-Tanriover to discuss the critical and often neglected topic of adult vaccination.

For more information on the importance of vaccination to adults with chronic disease, browse recently released reports from the IFA:

Spotlight By International Federation on Ageing