Do older people need immunisation? The Victorian State Government Health and Human Services information offers the following advice:
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What vaccines you need depends on your health, age, lifestyle and occupation.
Health issues, such as premature birth, asthma, diabetes, heart, lung, spleen or kidney conditions, will mean you can benefit from immunisation.
At different ages you need protection from different diseases.
Lifestyle choices, like travelling overseas, sexual activity or smoking, will mean you can benefit from immunisation.
Occupation - some jobs expose you to a greater risk of contact with diseases, for example, working in a hospital or daycare centre. This means you can benefit from immunisation.
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Immunisations are important for older people:
We know immunisations are important to protect babies and children against preventable diseases, but did you know immunisations for older people are equally important?
As you get older, your immune system can become less effective at protecting you from some diseases.
Immunisation is a proven and safe way to protect yourself against diseases that can cause serious illness, and sometimes even death.
It can also help stop the spread of diseases by protecting others in your community, too.
Immunisations for older people have been overlooked for a long time, but we now know we can prevent many diseases that can cause big problems later in life.
This can help you live a longer, healthier and more comfortable life.
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It is never too late to vaccinate:
Some diseases are more dangerous to older people than they are to the general population.
Even diseases that don’t pose a serious threat to older Australians can be spread by lack of immunisation and affect others who might be more vulnerable, such as young babies.
If you missed some immunisations as a child, it is even more crucial to your health and the health of others for you to be protected.
It is never too late to start protecting yourself.
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Older people can catch infections more easily than younger people, and it can take a lot longer to recover.
You can also lose the immunity you may have had when you were younger, meaning you could catch diseases you thought you couldn’t catch.
The good news is that you can protect yourself against many of these diseases with a simple vaccination.
Common diseases you can protect yourself against are tetanus, diphtheria, influenza, pneumococcal disease, whooping cough and shingles.
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Some immunisations are free of charge:
The Australian Government gives some immunisations for older people at no charge under the National Immunisation Program (NIP).
The following immunisations are free:
● herpes zoster (shingles) – for people aged 70 years (also available until 2021 for anyone aged 71–79 years);
● influenza (flu) – is an annual vaccine for people aged 65 years and over, and for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. You will need to get this every year; and
● pneumococcal – for healthy people aged 70 years and over, or 50 years and over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Or any age with a specified medical risk condition. Your GP will advise if you need extra doses if they feel you have a medical risk condition.
These vaccinations are provided free for people in the specified age groups and with specified medical risk conditions because they can get very sick, or even die, if they are unprotected. Ask your GP about your vaccine needs.
Diphtheria-tetanus-whooping cough booster:
Whooping cough (or pertussis) spreads easily and can cause severe illness, and even death, especially in young babies under six months of age.
Women from 20 weeks gestation of pregnancy are recommended the whooping cough vaccine to protect their baby in the first months of life before the baby starts vaccination.
The Australian Government also recommends adults who are going to be around a new baby, such as grandparents, get a whooping cough booster to ensure the new baby is as safe as possible from this terrible disease.
Even if you were immunised as a child, or you had whooping cough, your immunity can wear off.
The booster dose is recommended if you haven’t had one in the past 10 years.
If you are the primary carer or legal guardian of your grandchild, you can get the dTpa booster at no cost. Otherwise, you can ask your GP for a prescription and buy the vaccine at a pharmacy.
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Protect your immune system:
As we get older, our immune systems become slightly less effective at protecting us from disease.
This means that we become more prone to catching infections, and once we catch an infection we can take longer to recover.
Also, we may lose some of our immunity to diseases we were vaccinated against in childhood.
And some infectious diseases, such as the flu, can make us much sicker than they used to when we were younger, and can even lead to life-threatening complications.
The best way of protecting yourself from serious infections is to be vaccinated against them.
Three common but potentially dangerous diseases that older people should be vaccinated against are influenza, pneumococcal disease and shingles (herpes zoster).
Booster vaccinations against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough are also recommended for older people.
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Where can I get more information about immunisation?
Find out more about immunisation by speaking with your health professional.
The best place to start is with your GP. You can also ask your clinic nurse, specialist, or pharmacist.
There is also lots of information online.
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If you would like to know more about immunisation, check out the Australian Government’s National Immunisation Program website.
When looking for immunisation information, stick to reliable information, such as:
● The Better Health Channel;
● The Australian Government Department of Heath; and
● In an emergency, always call triple zero (000).
Editor