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Herpes zoster vaccinations low among older adults

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DENVER — Herpes zoster vaccination coverage across the United States remains relatively low among adults aged at least 50 years, according to data presented here at the 2013 Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

“Our study demonstrates that there are a lot of older Americans who could be vaccinated against herpes zoster, but have not received the vaccine,” Melissa D. Johnson, PharmD, associate professor of clinical research at Campbell University in North Carolina, told Infectious Disease News.

 

Melissa D. Johnson

Johnson and colleagues used data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to determine the vaccination rates among nearly 48,000 adults aged at least 50 years. The researchers compared rates from 2008 to 2011, and they also examined factors associated with vaccination.

The researchers observed significant increases in herpes zoster vaccination among 29,654 adults aged at least 60 years, from 6.7% in 2008 to 10.1% in 2009 (OR=1.61; 95% CI, 1.36-1.82), 14.2% in 2010 (OR=2.28; 95% CI, 1.90-2.75) and 15.8% in 2011 (OR=2.62; 95% CI, 2.25-3.04).

Vaccination rates were low among the 18,279 adults aged 50 to 59 years who were enrolled in the NHIS, with 2.9% receiving vaccinations in 2008 and 2.4% in 2009 (OR=0.96; 95% CI, 0.68-1.37), but rates increased among this age group to 3.9% in 2010 (OR=1.45; 95% CI, 1.02-2.05) and 4.3% in 2011 (OR=1.60; 95% CI, 1.20-2.14).

According to the researchers, adults aged 65 to 74 years were more likely to receive a vaccination compared with adults aged 60 to 64 years. There were lower vaccination rates among non-whites and among those with income below the national poverty level, less than a high school education and fair health status.

“Socioeconomic factors such as income, education, race, and type of insurance may influence likelihood to be vaccinated,” Johnson said. “This information is important in a broader sense, as we move forward with changes in healthcare coverage for Americans. Hopefully public health efforts can increase vaccination awareness among those that need it.”

For more information:

Johnson MD. #B-493. Presented at: ICAAC 2013; Sept. 10-13; Denver.

Disclosure: Johnson reports financial relationships with Astellas Pharma, Charles River Laboratories, Merck and Whiscon. Other researchers report being employees of Sandoz Pharmaceuticals or Labcorp Clinical Trials.