Survey highlights need to promote vaccination among elderly

The understanding about and the vaccination rate for common infectious diseases among Chinese seniors are still low, according to a survey released on Monday, National Vaccination Day.

The survey, conducted by the Chinese Association of Geriatric Research, polled more than 4,300 people and found that many over the age of 50 years underestimate their risk of catching common infectious diseases like flu, streptococcus pneumonia and shingles.

Many were not even aware of the effects of vaccination against these diseases, though more than 60 percent of middle-aged and senior citizens who have caught these ailments said they should have taken the jabs for their own protection.

Only 37 percent of respondents said they had received vaccination against flu, streptococcus pneumonia or shingles. The causes for not going in for the shots ranged from inexplicable worries to their own underlying diseases and fears over complications due to the vaccine, the survey found.

Feng Zijian from the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association said that the public usually pays attention to children's vaccination. But, the elderly are also vulnerable due to their growing age.

"Elderly people's immunity drops along with age and they usually have one or several underlying diseases. If they get infected, they could face more serious symptoms and it could also be fatal," Feng pointed out.

"Vaccination is a safe and effective way to prevent and reduce such risks. Currently, the promotion of COVID-19 vaccination among the elderly population is very crucial," he added, referring to the ongoing pandemic resurgence in Shanghai, which has been under lockdown as a result for nearly a month, with the elderly among the most severely affected by the coronavirus.

Yu Hua from the Chinese Association of Geriatric Research noted that China's Healthy 2030 Plan focuses on disease prevention.

"We must promote education to improve elderly people's understanding about vaccines to improve their life quality and reduce the incidence of disease," he suggested.