Disease prevention for vulnerable groups, achieving the goal of "healthy aging"

Since 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified "healthy aging" as the focus of activities for older people until 2030. According to WHO, healthy aging is the process of building and maintaining functional capacity, helping older people enjoy a happy life.

According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in Vietnam, the number of people aged 60 and over is expected to reach about 21 million by 2035. On average, older people have 3-4 underlying medical conditions, which greatly affect their quality of life and are at risk of reducing the number of healthy years they live. As the population ages and the incidence of chronic diseases increases, society becomes increasingly vulnerable to preventable infectious diseases.

This is the information shared at the workshop: "Vaccination - A shield to protect the health of the elderly and people with underlying diseases" jointly organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control and GSK Vietnam.

Overview of the workshop "Vaccination - Shield to protect the health of the elderly and people with underlying diseases" on November 8.

Specialist II Doctor Nguyen Hong Tam, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC), said: "In Vietnam, the vaccination program for children has achieved many important achievements, contributing to the effective control of infectious diseases. However, vaccination for adults, especially the elderly and people with underlying diseases, is still relatively new. Realizing the importance of protecting this population group, HCDC has developed and implemented a Vaccination Plan to protect the elderly and people with underlying diseases with many practical activities such as: providing professional guidance, completing the pre-vaccination screening checklist, and organizing expert workshops to collect comments."

Specialist II Doctor Nguyen Hong Tam, Director of Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) spoke at the workshop.

Many countries have seen clear benefits from integrating adult vaccination into their health care systems. For example, the UK has a nationally consistent recommended framework for adult routine immunisation, which includes vaccines against seasonal influenza, pneumococcal, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and other diseases delivered through the NHS.

Speaking at the event, Professor, Knight Jonathan Van-Tam, Honorary Professor, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, UK; Deputy Chief Medical Officer of England from 2017-2022, responsible for overseeing the UK's vaccination program during this period, emphasized: "A particularly important factor is the recommendation from the doctor or health worker that the patient trusts. Every contact with a patient is an opportunity to help people understand and be more proactive in disease prevention through vaccination in all stages of life."

Professor, Sir Jonathan Van-Tam, Honorary Professor, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham; Deputy Chief Medical Officer of England from 2017-2022 shared at the workshop.

He also said that adult vaccination is currently the fastest growing field in the vaccinology industry, bringing dual benefits: reducing hospitalization and re-hospitalization rates due to direct links to infectious diseases, and reducing complications in chronic diseases such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases caused by severe infections, thereby helping to reduce treatment costs and pressure on the health system.

In the future, when there is a unified guidance framework, the medical team will implement post-vaccination consultation, screening and monitoring, ensuring safety and effectiveness for patients. Standardizing vaccination activities not only helps improve professional capacity but also contributes to strengthening the role of preventive medicine in community health care.

vtv.vn

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/phong-benh-cho-nhom-de-bi-ton-thuong-thuc-hien-muc-tieu-lao-hoa-khoe-manh-post886412.html