It’s no secret to anyone over a certain age, that your body changes as the years go by.  While we’re all familiar with some of the more obvious changes (think hair loss, weight gain) did you know that your immune system also ages with you?  That’s why older people are more susceptible to a variety of illnesses.  The good news is that many illnesses can be prevented with vaccinations, but only if those vaccines are readily available and individuals and their doctors clearly understand who should get what vaccine when.

That is why 60 Plus – The American Association of Senior Citizens is encouraged to learn that ACIP-the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have indicated a potential interest in lowering the age requirement for pneumococcal vaccines to age 50.   The current recommendation is for those aged 65 and above.

This has the potential to ensure that more Americans, and especially those at greater risk for contracting the disease have a chance to be better protected.

This is critically important when considering ethnic and racial minority populations.  Vaccine rates are historically low in these communities, and often pre-existing conditions worsen the potential for community members to contract pneumonia at a younger age.

If you’ve ever known anyone who has had pneumonia, you know this is not a disease to be taken lightly.   It can progress quickly, requiring extreme treatments like intubation and long term rehabilitation.

Pneumococcal disease lands approximately 150,000 Americans in the hospital each year.  Twenty percent of those patients don’t survive.    Those rates are even higher the older the individual is, and if they have pre-existing co-morbidities.    

There are separate vaccines that address different strains of pneumococcal disease, so by making all FDA approved pneumococcal vaccines available to those aged 50 and up, we can make a better dent in preventing this disease. 

Sadly, we’ve also seen the reverse of this theory in recent years.  Take whooping cough and measles.  Disease once rare are now raging back in some parts of the country.   Vaccines prevent both of these diseases from spreading, but due to lack of interest in vaccines, more people are getting sick.  We can’t let that happen with pneumonia.

Everyone deserves access to the best healthcare options. Patients and doctors should choices when it comes to which vaccines are most appropriate based on medical history, risk factors and other personal considerations. 

We urge members of ACIP to take the welcome step during this cold and flu season, to allow everyone age 50 and older access to all FDA approved vaccines to prevent the spread of pneumococcal disease.

It will be a game changer for the health the aging immune systems of middle age and older Americans across the country.