Many older people not vaccinated

John Norton

Feb. 7, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- More than 33 percent of adults 65 and older have not been vaccinated for pneumonia, a common killer of the ill and aged, according to a report released Thursday.

According to the report, "Adult Immunization: Shots to Save Lives," Colorado is doing better than most states, with a rate of 27.4 percent.

The report came from the Trust for America's Health, the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Pneumonia infections, a common complication of flu and other diseases, is blamed for an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 preventable deaths each year and $10 billion in preventable health care costs.

According to the report, the top reasons people aren't getting vaccinated are limited access, limited insurance coverage and cost worries, misinformation about vaccine safety and not enough research or production. Dr. Richard J. Whitley, president of IDSA, said, "This country has a first-rate system for immunizing children, but too many adults are falling through the cracks. Clearly, we need to build a better system for immunizing adults."

The report also said that it's not just pneumonia threatening older people. In addition to low rates of pneumonia immunizations, only 2.1 percent of eligible adults had gotten tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough vaccine in the previous two years; only 10 percent of eligible adult women have had the human papillomavirus vaccine; and only 36.1 percent of all adults were vaccinated against the seasonal flu in 2008.

The Pueblo City-County Health Department offers free pneumonia vaccinations to smokers under a Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment program.

norton@chieftain.com

Newstex ID: KRTB-0154-41865685