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After a successful flu, the chances of developing pneumococcal pneumonia increase significantly, leading to a life-threatening condition or death in many, especially elderly and chronic patients. While the coronavirus vaccine is still pending, vaccines against influenza and bacterial pneumonia are now available. New research also calls for free access to the pneumocucin vaccine to protect the elderly and strengthen their social role.
As early as the early 19th century, it was observed that there was a significant increase in pneumonia cases during influenza pandemics. The records at that time were also confirmed during the devastating Spanish flu nearly 100 years later. Scientists investigating the high causes of death from the Spanish plague epidemic took samples from the lungs of the deceased and found that the high death rate was not directly due to the influenza virus but to pneumonia as a bacterial complication.
By some estimates, bacterial superinfections, most commonly caused by a bacterium called Streptococcus pneumoniae, were responsible for the deaths in the Spanish flu epidemic. At the time, there were no antibiotics or vaccines available. However, even with currently available antibiotics, bacterial pneumonia caused by influenza leads to a life-threatening condition or even death in many people, which can be traced to various pathogens, but is the fourth most common cause of death, according to WHO. Of infectious diseases, this is the most common cause of death in Europe.
It is more dangerous for the elderly.
In particular, the elderly with reduced defenses and those with chronic diseases are exposed to infection, which in their case can be more serious. Chronic and elderly patients are more likely to require hospitalization and are more likely to have a complication of pneumonia or a severe form that threatens life or even a fatal outcome. In old age, severe pneumonia is the most common cause of bloodstream infection.
Due to the aging of the immune system, the elderly do not always produce the characteristic symptoms of the disease, often only an altered mental state, confusion or relapse indicate infection. And delaying therapy further worsens the chances of recovery. Surviving pneumonia also leaves a mark on the body and the consequences of the disease are a serious burden for both the individual and society.
Prevention is more effective
It is better to focus on the prevention of the disease than on the treatment of the already established infection, in case of increased risk – in old age, chronic disease – by vaccination against influenza and pneumococcus that cause pneumonia, in unvaccinated people the Hungarian protocol recommends conjugate vaccine.
According to a recent Perspective Institute survey, although most seniors try to do everything they can to maintain their health, only 44 percent of them get the recommended vaccinations, even though this poses a higher risk. The flu vaccine has been freely available to the elderly (and this year to society as a whole) for years, but the pneumococcal vaccine is not funded by the state, despite the death rate from invasive disease caused by the pathogen exceeds 25 percent. In addition to the poorer life prospects, the disease also has a longer attention span.
200 deaths a year could be prevented
According to the study, based on data from the literature, a comprehensive vaccination could prevent up to two hundred deaths and almost a thousand diseases a year, and the expected social and economic benefits are expected to outweigh the costs. Contrary to popular belief, the elderly are not only beneficiaries of welfare systems, but also contribute significantly to the performance of the national economy. A Hungarian citizen aged 65 and over produces an average of HUF 728,052 of added value per year, but the estimated annual health expenditure is HUF 609,100, according to a study examining the role of older people in society and the economic importance of Your activities.
The authors of the analysis consider the introduction of all political measures that help to preserve and further strengthen the work capacity, health and active economic and social participation of older people. One such measure could be to raise awareness about communicable disease vaccines and make them as widely available as possible, they write.
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