Vaccination Rates in Geriatric Outpatient Clinic in Gaziantep Dr. Ersin Arslan Training and Research Hospital

Abstract

Aim: Vaccination against influenza, pneumococcal disease, herpes zoster and tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) is recommended for older adults. Data on vaccination rates in older adults are limited for our country. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of vaccination in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: Patients >= 65 years admitted to Dr. Ersin Arslan Research and Training Hospital geriatric outpatient clinic between September 2017 and May 2018 in Gaziantep were included. Demographic data and number of medicines were recorded. Frailty was assessed by the FRAIL scale. The patients were asked about their vaccination status against pneumococcal disease (conjugate vaccine in any period of life, polysaccharide vaccine in the past five years), influenza virus (for current year) and Tdap (in the past 10 years). Results: A total of 268 patients with the mean age of 76.7±7.2 years were included. Two hundred and four (76.1%) were female and 64 (23.9%) were male. The median number of drugs was 4 (0-16). Twenty one (7.8%) were robust and the remaining subjects were frail or prefrail. The prevalence of influenza vaccination was 8.2% (n=22) and pneumococcal vaccination was 0.7% (n=2, polysaccharide vaccine). There were no patients with herpes zoster or Tdap vaccines. Conclusion: In our study, we observed quite lower vaccination prevalence in older adults. Reporting vaccination rates in older adults may help draw health professionals' attention to this issue, thereby increase vaccination rates.

Influenza, Pneumococcus, Tetanus, and Herpes Zoster Vaccination Status of Patients Aged 65 Years and Over with Respiratory and Cardiac Problems

“…In the study of Bolatkale et al 27 it was determined that 59% of the participants had a tetanus vaccine and 53.2% of them had it in the last 5 years, and the first reason for vaccination was sharp object injuries with 50.6%. Yürüyen et al 14 found the tetanus vaccination rate to be much lower (5%) than our study result, while İlhan and Bakkaloğlu 16 reported that no patients were vaccinated for tetanus and HZ. It is stated that 82% of adults have received the tetanus vaccine in the last 10 years, 65% of those aged 65 and over have received the seasonal influenza vaccine, and 42% have received the pneumococcal vaccine in Canada, which is higher than our study results.…”

“…28 Because HZ and pneumococci vaccines are not covered by social security institutions in Turkey, vaccination rates are reported to be low. 16 In our study, tetanus vaccination of patients who were married and who resided in the province was significantly higher. The reason for this was that the study was conducted in the city, and spousal support might have facilitated access to health services.…”

“…In addition, the literature reports that among the adult vaccines aged 65 and over, the influenza vaccine is the one that is commonly administered. 10,14,16 One study suggests that in people over 65 years of age, the reason for not being vaccinated is not their refusal to be vaccinated but the lack of information and persuasion of the target groups. 17 In our study, the patients stated that they did not believe that vaccines were necessary, they were scared of injections, they did not know about the vaccine, and they did not think that the vaccine was healthy.…”

Herpes Zoster Burden of Disease and Clinical Management in Turkey: A Comprehensive Literature Review

“…Three studies reported the proportion of individuals vaccinated for HZ in Turkey. Notably, all three studies reported markedly low HZ immunization rates, compared with pneumococcus and influenza (Table 3 ) [ 99 , 100 , 104 ]. For example, a study of 488 individuals ≥ 65 years of age diagnosed with a chronic disease reported that only 0.8% were vaccinated for HZ compared with 2.7% and 32.8% for pneumococcus and influenza, respectively [ 104 ].…”

Immunization Status in Children with Cerebral Palsy and Their Household Members, and Parental Beliefs and Attitudes About Childhood, Adulthood, and COVID-19 Immunizations

“…Findings from Bangladesh and Turkey suggest that immunization of households with children with CP may be overlooked in low-to middle-income countries. In 2019, influenza and pneumococcal immunization rates among ≥ 65-year-old healthy subjects in Turkey were 8.2% and 0.2%, respectively; immunization rates among Turkish adults with the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were 37.9% and 13.3%, respectively (19,20). These rates suggest that treating parents/grandparents necessitate developing awareness of the risk for transmission of vaccinepreventable diseases among households and preventive strategies to protect both themselves and their children/ grandchildren.…”