Inoculating the elderly population in shorter intervals makes sense
At the occasion of the 7th Meeting of the International Scientific Working Group on Tick Borne Encephalitis (ISW TBE) international experts on TBE/FSME from various European countries met in Vienna in January 2005 for reviewing and discussing the state of the art knowledge in terms of TBE/FSME vaccination in the elderly.
If one imagines the immune defence system as a layer of protective clothing then - with increasing age - it becomes worn and tattered. The thymus degenerates, whereby fewer T cells are developed. T cells are specific white blood cells organising the defence in blood and lymph tissue.
This gradual loss of defence sets in early already. Until the age of 50 the somatic immune defence system has already lost a considerable amount of strength. Consequences are the severe course and the frequent occurrence of infections, the greater risk to grow tumors and a decreased formation of anti-bodies following inoculation.
Many people know that and live more health-consciously. They eat better, avoid drugs, sleep regularly, enjoy nature walking or hiking. The Golden Ages (50 years +) can be a beautiful time, unless diseases like tick borne encephalitis (TBE) occur.
Every contact with grass or bushes in 20 European countries is potentially dangerous: The TBE viruses of infected ticks are able to cause meningitis or encephalitis and/or an inflammation of the spinal cord, during which thousands of nerve cells are destroyed. In Europe approximately 10,000 patients with TBE are treated in hospitals annually.
The current data from Germany, Scandinavia and the Baltic states unfortunately reveal that Golden Agers come down with TBE more frequently, and mainly a lot more severely and particularly often retain permanent neuropsychiatric damage (chronic headaches, reduced memory, tiredness, reduced stress tolerance etc.).
Therefore more cautions and precautions are recommended. Many adults in the risk areas between Russia and the Alsace, between Sweden and Serbia are not yet inoculated, while their children are often protected already. Also, to renew the vaccination on time becomes more and more important throughout the years. Finally, starting from the age of 60 inoculations should be administered in shorter intervals.