Failure to Receive Recommended Vaccinations Results in Thousands of Deaths

According to the February 2010 report Adult Immunization: Shots to Save Lives, 40,000 to 50,000 American adult die annually from diseases that could have been prevented by vaccines.

The report, published by the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Trust for America's Health, states that in addition to the thousands of adult deaths caused by preventable illnesses each year, the lack of vaccinations among adult Americans also results in $10 billion of preventable health care costs annually.

 “The vast majority of vaccine-preventable disease, hospitalization, and deaths occur among adults -- that's, for many, a new concept,” said Dr. William Schaffner, co-author of the report and chairman of the Infectious Diseases Society of America's Immunization Work Group. “The country has an absolutely stunningly first-rate system for immunizing children, but too many adults still fall through the cracks. It's really time to build a better strategic approach for systematically immunizing adults.”

Jeffrey Levi, executive director of Trust for America’s Health, feels that the United States does not have an effective strategy for ensuring the immunization of adults against infectious diseases.

“Thousands of lives could be saved each year if we could increase the number of adults who receive routine and recommended vaccinations,” said Levi.  “We need a national strategy to make vaccines a regular part of medical care and to educate Americans about the effectiveness and safety of vaccines.”

The report includes several examples of neglected vaccines, including the pneumonia vaccine. In 36 states, more than 30 percent of adults aged 65 and older have not received a vaccine against the illness, which can be life-threatening.

The flu vaccine was only received by slightly more than 36 percent of adults in 2008, and only 10 percent of women have received the vaccine that protects against several strands of the human papillomavirus (currently available as Gardasil and Cervarix).

Dr. Marc Siegel, expert on infectious diseases and associate professor of medicine at New York University, states that adults need booster vaccines, as certain shots wear off over time. A booster vaccine requires more than one vaccination to receive the full benefit of the vaccine.  Adults need tetanus shots every 10 years to ensure adequate protection, and the pneumonia vaccine becomes ineffective after six years.

“Vaccine is a tremendous tool for stamping out disease,” said Dr. Siegel.

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