20+ Groups to ACIP: Make Those Aged 50-64 Priority For All Pneumonia Vaccines

In addition to the group letter, an online petition organized by NANASP has garnered more than five thousand signatures from Americans across the country.

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, October 21, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) prepares to meet on October 23 and 24, a bi partisan group of 21 aging, patient, multicultural, consumer and business focused organizations are calling for lowering the routine age-based recommendation for all pneumonia vaccines to age 50.

The appeal was contained in a letter co-authored by the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs (NANASP), National Caucus and Center on Black Aging (NCBA) and the National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA). The October ACIP agenda may include a vote on lowering the routine, age-based recommendation for pneumonia vaccines to add those 50-64 to the existing two groups in the age-based recommendation, those under 5 and over 65.

The group letter presented as their rationale that lowering the age would increase vaccination rates some of the most at-risk in our population. Data shows that 53.5 percent of Black, 41 percent of Hispanic, 50.2 percent of Asian Americans have been vaccinated for pneumonia, as compared to 69 percent of White adults. The organizations also referenced the fact that as adults age, they also experience a decline in their immune response, leaving them more vulnerable to infectious diseases. Offering a vaccine earlier than age 65 would ensure older adults are receiving protection while their immune systems are still able to produce a robust response.

“It has been over three years since ACIP first presented data at the June 2021 meeting showing that lowering the age-based recommendation would improve vaccine equity,” said Bob Blancato, Executive Director of the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs. “There is no reason to delay this any further.”

“Too many Black and Hispanic individuals face chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease and cancer, due to lack of preventable health care early in life. Far too many are already sick by the time they are currently eligible for pneumococcal vaccination,” said Yanira Cruz, President and CEO of the National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA). “Getting more adults in these populations vaccinated at a younger age is a great step forward in vaccine equity.”

“I’ve had pneumonia and it knocked me out for nearly three months,” said Karyne Jones, President and CEO of National Caucus and Center on Black Aging (NCBA). “I contracted the disease when I was 64—I know first-hand the value of getting younger people vaccinated against this deadly disease. I ask the members of ACIP to fully support lowering the recommendation to age 50 for all adults for all available pneumococcal vaccines.”

In addition to the group letter, an online petition organized by NANASP has garnered more than five thousand signatures from Americans across the country.

“As we begin the respiratory disease season, our policies should be about promoting protection versus limiting access to vaccines. The support for lowering the age-based recommendation is clearly there so now is the time for ACIP to act,” continued Blancato.

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Kloe Lloyd
NANASP
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