62 August 29 • 2019
jn

RUTHAN BRODSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Seniors are advised to keep 
up on vaccinations.

I

f you are 55 or older and not up to 
date with your vaccinations, you 
are not alone. About 30 percent of 
you skipped a flu shot in 2017, two-
thirds didn’
t receive the recommended 
shingles vaccine and 43 percent were 
not current for tetanus shots, according 
to a 2017 report from the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
As you age, your immune system 
weakens, making it more difficult to 
fight off infections. You are more likely 
to be fighting off complications from 
the flu, pneumonia or shingles, which 
may lead to lengthy and chronic illness-
es. With a serious health condition such 
as heart disease or diabetes, getting vac-
cinated is particularly important.
“The research shows that many 
seniors aren’
t getting the protection 
they need,” says Dr. James Bragman, 
D.O., in West Bloomfield who special-
izes in internal, geriatric and sports 
medicine. “
As a primary care physi-
cian, I look at the whole person, mind 
and body, and work at keeping my 
patients healthy as they age.
“This includes encouraging patients 
to consume a plant-based diet, to 
enlarge their network of friends 
beyond their family, and to make cer-
tain they’
re getting the vaccines they 
need depending upon their age and 
lifestyle, including travel plans, medi-
cal conditions and which 
vaccinations they had in 
the past,” he says. 
“Vaccines are the 
safest ways to protect 
your health,” says Dr. 
Carl Lauter, M.D., an 

infectious disease specialist in Royal 
Oak who also specializes in allergy 
and immunology. “Your best reasons 
for keeping current with your vaccines 
are to protect yourself and the people 
around you.”

INFLUENZA (FLU VACCINE)
“Some people won’
t get a flu shot 
because they’
re afraid they’
ll get the 
flu from the vaccine,” Lauter says. “No 
matter how many stories you hear, 
this is not scientifically possible. The 
injected flu vaccine is made from a 
dead virus and the nasal flu vaccine is 
made from a weakened virus.
“Because the flu virus changes each 
year, a yearly flu shot is required 
especially for those with chronic 
conditions and weakened immune 
systems, and for the elderly,” he says. 
“Pneumonia, a serious viral or bacte-
rial lung infection, is the most com-
mon complication of the flu.
 “Scientists try to predict which flu 
strains will show up the next winter 
and develop vaccines to match those 
strains. Sometimes the predictions are 
excellent and other times vaccinations 
are less effective.”
 
PNEUMOCOCCAL VACCINE
Severe infections in the bloodstream 
and key organs are caused by pneu-
mococcal disease often resulting in 
pneumonia, blood infections and 
meningitis, killing about 18,000 adults 
65 and older each year. The CDC 
recommends that all adults 65 and 
older take the two vaccines about a 
year apart to protect against pneumo-

coccal disease. In July 2017, the CDC 
reported that only about 18 percent of 
older adults are getting both vaccines, 
the PCV13 (Prevnar 13) and PPSV23 
(Pneumovax 23). 
 
SHINGLES OR HERPES ZOSTER VACCINE
Shingles is a blistering and painful 
rash, which one out of every three 
people, generally 55 and older, will 
develop in their lifetime. It is caused 
by the same virus responsible for 
childhood chickenpox, which then 
lies dormant in most adults and reac-
tivates in later life. 
“Some people experience mild to 
severe nerve pain that can linger for 
months or even years, and the com-
plications increase in severity as you 
age,” Lauter says. “The good news is 
that a new shingles vaccine, Shingrix, 
is available and works better than the 
previous vaccine, Zostavax. Two doses 
are needed 2-6 months apart. Healthy 
adults 50 or older should receive 
Shingrix even if they had shingles and 
already received Zostavax.
“The problem is you may have to 
put your name on a wait list for the 
vaccine because there’
s often a short-
age.”

TDAP BOOSTER (TETANUS, 
DIPHTHERIAE, PERTUSSIS)
“
All of us should have had the child-
hood vaccine to protect against tetanus 
but there may be some who missed 
taking the combination booster called 
Tdap that protects against tetanus, 
diphtheria and pertussis (whooping 
cough),” Lauter says.

“It is recommended that everyone 
receive the Td (tetanus-diphtherial) 
booster vaccine every 10 years and 
adults should get the Tdap vaccine at 
least once. The Tdap should also be 
given to women during pregnancy.”

HEPATITIS A VACCINE
The hepatitis A virus (HAV) can be a 
deadly liver disease spread person to 
person when people don’
t wash their 
hands properly or leave unsanitary 
conditions around food and water. For 
long-term protection, you need two 
doses, six months apart.

HEPATITIS B VACCINE
The Hepatitis B virus is also a conta-
gious virus and attacks the liver. The 
vaccine is usually given as two or three 
shots over 1-6 months. 
“
Also available is a combination 
vaccine approved for adults that pro-
tects people from both Hepatitis A 
and Hepatitis B,” Lauter says. “The 
combined Hepatitis A and B vaccine 
is usually given as three separate doses 
over a six-month period.”
Adults may need other vaccines 
based on health conditions, their job, 
lifestyle and travel habits. Keep in 
mind that no matter what your age, 
vaccines may not provide complete 
protection. Some, such as the tetanus 
shot, are reported to be 100 percent 
effective, but the flu shot limits your 
risk of getting influenza by about half. 
The effectiveness of most vaccines 
also decreases over time, which is why 
boosters are recommended for certain 
shots. ■

health

Healthy 
Aging

Dr. Carl Lauter

