Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control promotes expanded vaccination for the elderly and people with underlying diseases.

SKĐS - In order to raise awareness and improve professional capacity on vaccination for vulnerable populations, on November 8, the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) coordinated with a number of units to organize a workshop "Vaccination - A shield to protect the health of the elderly and people with underlying diseases".

The workshop brought together representatives of health agencies, hospitals, universities and domestic and foreign experts, focusing on discussing consultation and organization of safe and effective vaccination for adults, the elderly and people with underlying diseases.

This is a group of people at high risk of contracting and developing serious infectious diseases, in the context of Vietnam's population entering a period of rapid aging.

According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Vietnam is expected to have about 21 million people aged 60 and over by 2035. On average, each elderly person has 3 to 4 chronic diseases, reducing the quality of life and the number of healthy years of life.

Dr. Nguyen Hong Tam - Director of Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) shared at the workshop.

As the prevalence of chronic diseases increases, so does the risk of transmission and complications from infectious diseases, creating an urgent need to expand vaccine coverage in the community.

Dr. Nguyen Hong Tam - Director of HCDC said: In Vietnam, the vaccination program for children has achieved many successes in controlling infectious diseases. However, vaccination for adults, especially the elderly and people with underlying diseases, is still new.

"Recognizing 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 pre-vaccination screening checklists, and organizing expert workshops to gather feedback" - HCDC leaders shared at the workshop.

In many countries, adult immunization programmes are integrated into the health system. The UK, for example, provides routine adult immunization through the National Health Service (NHS), with vaccines against seasonal influenza, pneumococcal disease, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and a number of other infectious diseases.

Speaking at the workshop, Professor, Knight Jonathan Van-Tam, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham (UK), former Deputy Chief Medical Officer of England (2017–2022), emphasized the role of health workers in communication and promotion of vaccination: "Recommendations from doctors or health workers are key factors in helping people proactively prevent disease. Every contact with a patient is an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of vaccination throughout life."

Professor, Sir Jonathan Van-Tam, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham (UK) at the conference.

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam also added that adult vaccination is the fastest growing field in medicine, bringing dual benefits: reducing hospitalization rates due to infectious diseases and limiting complications in chronic diseases such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, contributing to reducing treatment costs and burden on the health system.

Experts assessed the workshop as an important step in promoting the development of a framework for vaccination practice guidelines for adults in Vietnam, thereby contributing to standardizing the process of consultation, screening and post-vaccination monitoring, improving preventive medicine capacity, towards the goal of "healthy aging - healthy living in every stage of life".

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "healthy aging" is the process of helping older people maintain their functional abilities to enjoy life to the fullest. Routine vaccination is one of the key solutions, especially for people over 50 years old or with chronic underlying diseases. WHO recommends that adults should be vaccinated with vaccines such as: Seasonal influenza, pneumococcal, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), hepatitis B and diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus.

According to medical experts, the elderly should proactively check their vaccination schedules at medical facilities, conduct pre-vaccination screening, and monitor their health after vaccination to ensure safety and long-term disease prevention.

Source: https://suckhoedoisong.vn/trung-tam-kiem-soat-benh-tat-tphcm-thuc-day-mo-rong-tiem-chung-cho-nguoi-cao-tuoi-va-nguoi-co-benh-nen-169251109103551388.htm