Experts who pay attention to the health of the elderly: vaccination as soon as possible. Most people with chronic diseases can get safety and immune protection.
Guo Xiang, director of the vaccine clinical trial and post-marketing evaluation department of the Immunization Planning Institute of the Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters on the 2nd that elderly people should be vaccinated as much as possible: immune surveillance refers to the fact that the internal pathogens that have not been completely removed are limited to relatively small areas: human beings can only obtain immune protection through natural infection. The reduction in disease incidence and health hazards caused by widespread vaccination is regarded as one of the greatest public health achievements of mankind. By simulating the similar mechanism of pathogens entering the human body, vaccines promote cells to produce immune responses to specific pathogens and produce protective antibodies in the body as soon as possible. In order to effectively deal with the next possible pathogen infection, vaccination has become an effective strategy to protect susceptible people. Through attenuated treatment of pathogens, a vaccine composed of intact viruses with reduced pathogenicity and good immunogenicity was obtained. In addition, it may not be applicable to immunocompromised people.
With the deepening of the aging process in China, disease prevention and health management of the elderly has become a topic of great concern.
Guo Xiang, director of the vaccine clinical trial and post-marketing evaluation department of the Institute for Immunization Planning of the Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters on the 2nd that due to "immune aging," the ability of the elderly to remove foreign pathogens has declined, and their risk of infectious diseases has significantly increased. In addition to strengthening physical exercise, paying attention to rest and balanced nutrition, early vaccination is also one of the important means. Guo Xiang said bluntly: "the elderly should be vaccinated as much as possible, adhere to the major principle of prevention, and do not wait for illness to miss the original healthy life."
Guo Xiang said that the immune system has three major functions: immune defense, immune surveillance, and immune homeostasis. Among them, the immune surveillance machine will limit the internal pathogens that have not been completely removed to relatively small parts. In the case of varicella-zoster virus, for example, after childhood infection, if the virus is not completely cleared, it will lurk in the ganglion for a long time, but as you get older or the disease affects the immune surveillance function, the latent virus may be activated. This can lead to herpes zoster disease, and some patients may even develop post-herpetic neuralgia, which lasts longer.
It is understood that in an era when there is no vaccine, human beings can only get immune protection through natural infection, which is dangerous and uncontrollable. Guo Xiang said bluntly that vaccines are a powerful weapon for human beings to deal with diseases, and the reduction of disease incidence and health hazards caused by extensive vaccination is regarded as one of the greatest public health achievements of mankind. "by mimicking the similar mechanism by which pathogens enter the body, the vaccine promotes the immune response of cells to specific pathogens and produces protective antibodies in the body as early as possible, thus effectively dealing with the next possible pathogen infection." According to this expert, the vaccine promotes the body to have the ability to resist disease in advance, so vaccination has become an effective strategy to protect vulnerable people.
The classic vaccine types are: live attenuated vaccine and inactivated vaccine. Guo Xiang said that live attenuated vaccines have a long history. Through attenuated pathogens, vaccines composed of intact viruses with reduced pathogenicity and good immunogenicity are obtained. However, live attenuated vaccines have some limitations, such as not every virus can be cultured in vitro, and it may not be suitable for immunocompromised people. Inactivated vaccine, is through physical and chemical methods to inactivate pathogens, so that it has no pathogenicity but can still activate the human immune response. "A hundred flowers blossom in R & D technology will greatly promote the production and development of more vaccines, and the options for public vaccination will become more and more diversified in the future," he told reporters. "
At present, many elderly people suffer from one or more chronic diseases. Does suffering from chronic diseases affect the efficacy and safety of vaccination in the elderly? In this regard, Guo Xiang said bluntly that there is no doubt that he can be vaccinated. People with chronic diseases affect their immunity because of their disease status. compared with those without disease, people with chronic diseases are more likely to suffer from infectious diseases, and it will be more difficult to manage chronic diseases after co-infection. Therefore, the elderly with chronic diseases need to be vaccinated in advance.
In 2019, the General Office of the National Health Commission released the "Core message on the Prevention of senile Disability", advising the elderly to be vaccinated against pneumococci and shingles, and to be vaccinated under the guidance of doctors before the influenza epidemic season. In 2022, an expert group composed of 40 experts from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Chinese Association of Preventive Medicine, the School of Medicine and Public Health of the Peking Union Medical College of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and the School of Public Health of Fudan University, published online in the Chinese Medical Journal, also pointed out that the elderly should enhance their awareness of vaccination to prevent diseases. Take the initiative to receive influenza vaccine, Streptococcus pneumoniae vaccine and herpes zoster vaccine.
It is understood that a large number of studies on the vaccination of patients with chronic diseases have confirmed that most objects can be protected by vaccination, even if the duration of immune protection produced by some individuals is limited and the degree of immune response is relatively low. however, compared with the more serious health damage caused by infection-related diseases caused by non-vaccination, vaccination is still valuable.
In addition, Guo Xiang said bluntly that based on long-term large-scale population application data, whether active or passive monitoring of health events, the hint is that compared with the general population, people with chronic diseases, there is no significant difference in vaccination safety. (reporter Chen Jing)
Source: China News Network