FORMER test cricketer Max Walker is heading a push for a whole of life vaccine register to cut hospital stays, reduce health costs and keep people productive into their old age.
While more than 90 per cent of Australian children are fully immunised against diseases under the Government’s free National Immunisation Program, only 50 to 60 per cent of older Australians get their free flu and pneumococcal vaccines.
Walker, who will open a National Health and Medical Research conference on vaccination in Melbourne today says his father nearly died of pneumonia in 1973.
“I was in the West Indies and didn’t know till I returned my dad was suffering a pretty bad bout of pneumonia and it went down to the wire and they didn’t tell me,” he said.
His uncle died at age five from whooping cough and Max says he recently suffered from the vaccine-preventable disease himself.
“I’m just coming to grips with getting a seniors card but I think it makes sense if you can make vaccination user friendly and not too much of a financial burden,” he said.
University of NSW vaccine expert Professor Raina MacIntyre says older people less likely to be vaccinated, especially if they are over 80 years of age, or living with dementia.
“There may be value judgements and ageism coming into play for prevention of disease in the elderly,” Prof MacIntyre said.
“This not only increases their risk of disease, but also their risk of infecting others around them, including grandchildren.”
Australian Immunisation Guidelines recommend older Australians are vaccinated against four diseases — pneumococcal disease, influenza, shingles and tetanus.
The influenza and pneumococcal vaccines are subsidised by the government.
There is emerging evidence booster vaccinations for pregnant mothers could help protect their newborns from disease.
However, adults who need booster doses of whooping cough and other vaccines have to meet the full cost from their own pocket.
Professor MacIntyre says governments and doctors are undervaluing the prevention of disease in the elderly and this needs to change as the pension age rises to 70.
The current childhood immunisation register only tracks vaccines until a child is aged seven and experts are calling for it to be expanded to cover the whole of a patient’s life.
“Vaccination is increasingly becoming a whole of life concern and it would make sense to have a whole of life register,” Professor MacIntyre says.
“While we have an excellent health system that protects our children from contracting these diseases from birth, we could be doing much better for our elderly.”
The elderly have a higher incidence of infection, more severe and serious consequences of infection, as well as the highest burden of disease, and risk of complications and death for all the major vaccine-preventable diseases.