title: Vaccinations for the Older Adult.
abstract: Vaccine response declines with age, but currently recommended vaccines are safe and effective in reducing, if not preventing, disease altogether. Over the last decade, advancements in vaccine immunogenicity, either by increasing dose or conjugating vaccines to protein, have resulted in more immunogenic vaccines that also seem more effective in reducing clinical disease both for influenza and pneumococcus. Meanwhile, there is a resurgence in incident pertussis, exceeding prevalence from five decades ago, adding older adults to a recommended target vaccination group. This article discusses currently available vaccines, in the context of current epidemiology and recommendations, for older adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine-Geriatrics, University Hospitals, Case Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, 11100 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
authors.forename: Gowrishankar
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gnanasekaran
authors.affiliation: Jencare Neighborhood Medical Center, 5516 Virginia Beach Boulevard, Virginia Beach, VA 23462, USA.
authors.forename: Rex
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Biedenbender
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Internal Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Insight Therapeutics, LLC, 142 West York Street, Suite 605, Norfolk, VA 23510, USA.
authors.forename: Harley Edward
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine-Geriatrics, University Hospitals, Case Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, 11100 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA; Health Services Policy and Practice, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA. Electronic address: Sgravensteinwork@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gravenstein
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods*; D014611:Vaccination / Q000379:methods*; D018074:Vaccines, Conjugate / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D018074:Vaccines, Conjugate
keywords: Conjugate; Diphtheria; Immune senescence; Influenza; Pertussis; Pneumococcus; Tetanus; Vaccine