Immunosenescence and herd immunity: with an ever-increasing aging population do we need to rethink vaccine schedules?
Vaccination is a powerful public health tool that has been of tremendous benefit in protecting vulnerable populations from specific infections. Moreover, in addition to the direct benefits to vaccinated individuals, the indirect effects of protection at the community level have also been demonstrated and termed 'herd immunity'. The predicted demographic shift in the population landscape towards an ever-increasing aging population and the evidence suggesting that older individuals produce less-than-optimal vaccine responses have raised the question of rethinking vaccine schedules. This article provides evidence that even if herd immunity might be an option to indirectly protect the aging and aged adult population, the highest priorities for the near future must be to understand how vaccine responses in older individuals can be improved, to break down the public, cultural, societal and political barriers to vaccination and to counter the antivaccination movement that inhibits the worldwide spread of lifelong immunization programs.
Department of Internal Medicine, Rehabilitation & Geriatrics, Medical School & University Hospitals of Geneva, Hospital of Trois-Chêne, Chemin du Pont-Bochet 3, CH-1226 Thônex-Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. pierre.o.lang@hcuge.ch
Pierre Olivier
PO
Lang
Richard
R
Aspinall
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D032521:Immunity, Herd; D017589:Immunization Programs; D008875:Middle Aged; D011634:Public Health; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014612:Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*
D014612:Vaccines