Vaccines for Older Travelers

Abstract

People who travel to countries where they are at risk of contracting specific infections often need specific vaccines. To make correct recommendations in this respect several points have to be considered. The state of health of the traveler should be known as well as his or her destination and travel style. Very important, however, is the age of the traveler. As advancing age leads to changes in the immune system, in older individuals many infections are more severe. On the other hand, most vaccines are less immunogenic in the elderly. In this chapter, we will discuss which vaccines are necessary for older travelers visiting (mainly) tropical and subtropical countries, how these vaccines have to be used, and if perhaps their use has to be altered in older individuals. First, standard vaccinations will be addressed. When the immunization state of the individual is incomplete because certain vaccinations are expired or missing, it has to be updated. Vaccinations against tetanus, diphtheria, influenza, pneumococcal diseases, measles, and poliomyelitis have to be considered in this respect, because the risk of getting infected with these diseases in tropical and subtropical regions or in regions with poor hygienic conditions is often higher or at least the same as in industrialized countries. The second and main part of this chapter contains the typical travel vaccines. We will deal with vaccinations against cholera, hepatitis A and B, Japanese encephalitis, invasive meningococcal diseases, rabies, typhoid fever, and yellow fever. Clinical courses and epidemiology of the different infections are presented. The respective vaccines are discussed in detail, especially their efficiency in older individuals as far as data are available in this respect. Finally, recommendations for their use in older travelers will be given.