American adults are largely ignoring a slate of important new vaccines that can prevent serious illness, according to a new survey from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. Only about two percent of adults 60 or older received a new shingles vaccine. The same tiny percentage of 18- to 64-year-olds received a booster shot for whooping cough. And so far only about 10 percent of women 18 to 26 have received the HPV vaccine. Cost may explain part of their reluctance; the shingles shot rings up at $150 and the three-shot course for HPV costs $300.
"There are not yet very many adults taking full advantage of the great advancements in prevention that have been made in the past few years," says Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "By skipping vaccination, people are leaving themselves needlessly vulnerable to significant illness, long-term suffering and even death."
- see this release
- read the report from the Detroit Free Press