Abstract
Mean longevity is increasing worldwide, with major consequences for public health worldwide, as the global population of adults aged over 65 years now exceeds the number of children under 5 for the first time in history. The ageing process over the life course is extremely heterogeneous, and it will be important to promote and enhance healthy ageing worldwide. Vaccination is a key player in the healthy ageing process, both at the individual and the community level. We review here the contribution of vaccines to individual and community health. At an individual level, we highlight the prevention of infectious diseases, as well as other, less well-known benefits of vaccination, such as modulation of the inflammatory process. We then underline the importance of vaccination in achieving herd immunity and reducing the transmission of pathogens in the community. Finally, at a community level, another important benefit of vaccination is the reduction in antimicrobial resistance. Taken together, these effects contribute to ensuring the best health, for the greatest number, for the longest time possible.
Highlights
Again in the European Union (EU), the percentage of adults over 80 years of age is expected to rise from 5.2% at present to 10% in 2050 [2]
Inequities exist between genders in the EU, with a mean time spent in disability of 14.7 years for men and 19.4 years for women [3]
Before the COVID 19 pandemic, vaccines saved more than 2.5 million lives worldwide every year by preventing communicable diseases [4], whose incidence decreased from 33% in 1990 [15] to 19% in 2016 [16]
Summary
Mean longevity worldwide increased from 52.6 years in 1960 to 72.6 years in 2020 [1]. The crucial contribution of vaccines to the healthy ageing process [9,10], both at the individual and community level, needs to be highlighted. Before the COVID 19 pandemic, vaccines saved more than 2.5 million lives worldwide every year by preventing communicable diseases [4], whose incidence decreased from 33% in 1990 [15] to 19% in 2016 [16].
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