Vaccines in adults

The proportion of adult population has increased globally and the current projections indicate that, by 2050, the group of 60 years and older will represent 21.1%. There are now vaccines exclusively designed for adults and others that are applied in early life but need to be updated later in life. Vaccines for adults are not only based on their respective age group but are also linked to risk factors like occupation, life style, health situation, among others. At the same time, longevity brings with it a weakening of the immune response to vaccines, a process known as immunosenescence representing an increasing challenge to adequately protect this age group. For some time, WHO has been promoting the term "Vaccination through the life course" allowing for an extension of the vaccination vision and taking adults as an integral part into the national vaccination programs and calendars. There are several vaccine preventable diseases affecting adults, but those associated with influenza virus and pneumococcus are the ones that affect the largest age group. Several recommendations include, additionally, others to prevent diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis A and B, meningococcus, chickenpox, measles, rubella, mumps, herpes zoster, human papilloma virus and others. There are still many challenges to overcome in order to fully include adults, particularly health personnel, and to make vaccines extensively valued as a prevention tool in order to achieve a healthy life.