image:
Over the past decade, declining vaccination rates are currently threatening the tremendous beneficial effects of vaccination in the United States and around the world. FAU Schmidt School of Medicine researchers and collaborators discuss multifactorial barriers to vaccinating U.S. adults, including increased vaccine hesitancy and new clinical and public health challenges I am doing it.
See more
Credit: Alex Dolce, Florida Atlantic University
Vaccines to prevent common serious infectious diseases had a greater impact on improving human health than any other medical advance in the 20th century, surpassing even sanitation and drinking water. From the global eradication of smallpox in 1980 to the unprecedented development of an effective and safe mRNA vaccine against COVID-19, vaccinations have impacted millions of adults and children. It has played an important role in preventing premature death and hospitalization.
These monumental efforts involve coordinated local, regional, national and international organizations and dedicated clinical and public health experts. Unfortunately, the tremendous beneficial effects of vaccination are now under threat in the United States and around the world as vaccination rates have declined over the past decade.
Barriers are multifactorial and include increasing vaccine hesitancy in the U.S., said researchers at Florida Atlantic University’s Schmidt School of Medicine in a review published online ahead of print in the American Journal of Medicine. Researchers discuss emerging clinical and public health challenges in vaccinating U.S. adults.
“In the United States, the continued dedication of all clinical and public health professionals, advances in vaccine technology and the resilience of the public health system all offer hope for the future,” lead author Charles・H. Hennekens, MD (1st Sir Richard) said: Doll Professor of Medicine and Preventive Medicine and Senior Academic Advisor in the Department of Medicine, Population Health and Social Medicine. “Healthcare providers and public health officials must continue to recognize that increasing vaccination rates is essential but not sufficient. Surveillance and containment include isolation, prompt antiviral or antibiotic administration, social Prompt detection and reporting of cases by rapid vaccination of household members and close contacts of confirmed cases, combined with distancing, judicious use of respiratory etiquette, and home or mass isolation is required. Masking. These successes will require the continued and expanded efforts of U.S. health care providers.”
The authors note that U.S. health care providers also face significant challenges in achieving high vaccination rates for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and influenza, which are particularly prevalent among older adults. The authors point out that this poses a particularly high risk for people with disabilities and immunocompromised individuals. They warn of potential concerns related to the recent emergence of a highly virulent influenza strain (H5N1) in China.
“The pneumococcal vaccine has also been shown to be safe and effective in randomized trials in patients aged 18 to 79 years, including those aged 80 and older, and has been shown to be safe and effective in older adults, people with weakened immune systems, and people at risk of pneumonia. It is particularly beneficial for people with high . “Furthermore, herpes zoster, or shingles, affects one in three people over the age of 65 and is caused by reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus from a previous chickenpox infection. It is a debilitating disease. It can cause complications and is a particular concern for immunocompromised patients.The shingles vaccine is safe and effective and has been approved by the FDA for people over 50.
Although measles was eliminated in 2000, the authors also discuss the clinical and public health challenges of measles in the United States and globally. Recent outbreaks in areas with low vaccination coverage have been exacerbated by recent vaccine hesitancy, leading to loss of herd immunity. By July 2023, 116 out of 195 countries reported a decline in measles vaccination coverage. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that vaccination since 1974 has prevented approximately 154 million premature deaths, of which 101 million are infants.
“Vaccines against 14 diseases have contributed to a 40% reduction in global infant deaths. In the United States, from 1994 to 2024, measles vaccination has reduced 508 million infections and 32 million hospitalizations. It is estimated that more than 1 million deaths have been prevented,” Hennekens said. “Maintaining herd immunity is critical to preventing future measles outbreaks and related deaths.”
Finally, in August, the WHO declared mpox a global public health emergency. Mpox, a variant of smallpox, has been primarily controlled by smallpox vaccination, but vaccination has declined since its eradication in 1980.
“The emergence of new variants, especially clade Ib, carries an increased risk of death,” Hennekens said. “Recently developed vaccines have been particularly effective in limiting the spread in high-risk areas such as sub-Saharan Africa. However, global vaccination efforts have been slow due to limited supplies and limited access to vulnerable populations. facing special challenges such as insufficient supply of
The authors conclude that with continued efforts by medical and public health experts and advances in vaccine technology, many infectious diseases can be eliminated or eradicated in the United States. Achieving these goals will require continued collaboration and a focus on increasing vaccination coverage.
Co-authors of the study are John Dunn, a second-year FAU medical student in the Schmidt School of Medicine; Barry R. Davis, MD, Professor Emeritus of Biostatistics and Data Science, School of Public Health, University of Texas at Houston. Alexandra Matarazzo, second-year FAU medical student, Schmidt School of Medicine; Yanna Willett, Master of Medicine student at Virizina University of Technology. Sadeen Al Farauki, first-year medical student at Ross School of Medicine and FAU graduate. and Dennis G. Maki, M.D., the first Ovid O. Meyer Professor of Medicine and chair emeritus of infectious diseases at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Mr. Hennekens and Mr. Maki worked for two years in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) as deputy commander of the U.S. Public Health Service. They worked under Dr. Alexander D. Langmuir, who founded EIS and directed CDC’s epidemiology program, and Dr. Donald A. Henderson, chief of CDC’s Viral Disease Surveillance Program. Langmuir and Henderson made significant contributions to the eradication of polio and smallpox by leveraging widespread vaccination and public health strategies with proven effectiveness, and worked with extraordinary local, state, federal, and international health authorities. We built a cooperative relationship.
– Fau –
About Charles E. Schmidt School of Medicine:
FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt School of Medicine is one of approximately 157 accredited medical schools in the United States. The university was founded in 2010 when the Florida Board of Governors made a landmark decision authorizing FAU to award the Doctor of Medicine degree. Approved by the Florida Legislature and Governor, it becomes the 134th allopathic medical school in North America. With more than 70 full-time and part-time faculty and more than 1,300 affiliated faculty, the university enrolls 64 medical students each year and is nationally recognized for its innovative curriculum. To further FAU’s commitment to increasing much-needed physician residency positions in Palm Beach County and continuing to ensure the region has an adequate and well-trained physician workforce, FAU Charles E. Schmidt The Graduate Medical Education Consortium (GME) was established. ) was established in fall 2011 at five major hospitals in Palm Beach County. The consortium currently has five Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited residencies, including internal medicine, surgery, emergency medicine, psychiatry, and neurology.
About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University was founded in 1961 and officially opened in 1964 as Florida’s fifth public university. The university currently enrolls more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students across six campuses along the southeast Florida coast. In recent years, the university has doubled its research spending and surpassed its peers in student achievement. FAU embodies an innovative model that closes traditional achievement gaps through the coexistence of access and excellence. FAU is designated as a Hispanic-serving institution and is recognized as a top public university by U.S. News & World Report and as an institution with high research activity by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Education. For more information, please visit www.fau.edu.
journal
american medical journal
Research method
Commentary/Editorial
Research theme
people
Article title
Emerging clinical and public health challenges in vaccination of U.S. adults
Article publication date
September 29, 2024
