EUROPA PRESS.- Vaccination is a “basic pillar” of a lifestyle oriented towards healthy aging, together with physical exercise, adequate nutrition or the development of a network of socio-affective supports, according to experts in the health field at the table. round ‘Vaccines for healthy aging’, organized by the Health Observatory, with the support of GSK.
According to Guadalupe Fontán Vinagre, coordinator of the Spanish Institute for Nursing Research of the General Nursing Council, the low vaccination rates in older people have their origin in the fact that “currently the population is unaware and, therefore, has a low perception of the risk that preventable diseases in those over 65 years of age.
To address this barrier, Fontán and the General Nursing Council have advocated “promoting the training of citizens and healthcare providers so that doubts can be addressed, knowledge promoted, hoaxes dismantled and everyone’s confidence promoted.”
Stages
«Vaccination at all stages of life is essential for a healthy life and healthy aging, since it not only prevents disease and death, but also protects against the complications, sequelae and disability frequently associated with vaccinations. diseases that can be prevented by vaccines”, reflected during the meeting the head of the Vaccine Group of the Spanish Society of General and Family Physicians (SEMG), Isabel Jimeno.
Alfredo Corell, Professor of Immunology at the University of Valladolid and member of the Spanish Society of Immunology (SEI), has added that compliance with vaccination recommendations is as important in adulthood as in pediatric age since “the system The immune system of humans is inherited and there are two moments of development characterized by a lower level of functioning: immediately after birth and when we get older ».
Functioning
Specifically, according to Corell, “men over the age of 50 and women over the age of 60 experience a decline in the functioning of their defenses that makes them respond worse to infections and makes them especially susceptible to certain diseases.”
For this reason, “vaccinating ourselves is of paramount importance to help prevent diseases such as the flu, herpes zoster or COVID-19, which can imply risks to life and quality of life.”
Thus, “just as at these ages we work to promote a better diet, exercise, sleep well or not consume toxic substances, it is also important to work so that the elderly are up to date on vaccination.”
Activities
For his part, Ángel Gil, Professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the Rey Juan Carlos University, highlighted that traditionally “the focus of prevention activities in adulthood has focused on chronicity, mainly on cardiovascular risk or stroke, leaving primary prevention aside.
For this reason, according to the expert, it is essential to promote the effective use of tools that reduce the occurrence of diseases that directly affect quality of life, such as influenza, pneumococcus, and herpes zoster, which are already included in the vaccination schedules throughout life approved by the Public Health authorities.
Immunization
Furthermore, it is especially important to ensure that this immunization effectively reaches the adult population with risk factors, according to Carmen Román, a specialist in Preventive Medicine Hospital La Mancha Centro and coordinator of the Vaccine Network of the Spanish Society of Preventive Medicine, Public Health and Health Management.
The expert has advocated for the “continuous training of all professionals who care for these vulnerable groups with the aim of promoting vaccination as it is a safe, effective and necessary measure to prevent them from suffering infections, improve their quality of life and facilitate the continuity of their treatments.
