A new groundbreaking study has produced some extraordinary results regarding the use of a newer, recombinant shingles vaccine. Recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for adults aged 50 and older, this vaccine could dramatically reduce risk of dementia. The results indicate that recipients of this vaccine experienced a 20 percent reduced risk of developing dementia. Unvaccinated individuals did not see this decrease in risk.
The CDC recommends that adults 50 years and older receive two doses of the recombinant shingles vaccine. This vaccine is unique in that it has an adenoviral vector-based antigen specifically engineered to elicit a robust immune response. This recommendation comes after the discontinuation of the live-attenuated shingles vaccine in the United States in 2020. Health authorities quickly redirected their efforts to the newer, recombinant version. The vaccine is still produced, using the same strains, in several other countries around the world. It is the only vaccine that requires one shot, which is cheaper to manufacture than other two-dose vaccines.
The study followed more than 280,000 people born from September 1, 1925 through September 1, 1942. Specifically, it tracked yearly dementia diagnoses for seven years starting from Sept. 1, 2013. In fact, the study found something rather unexpected. Those who were born just under the shingles vaccine eligibility cutoff date have a probability of a dementia diagnosis of roughly 15.5 percent. In stark contrast, children born immediately after the cutoff date faced a dramatic drop. Their chance plummeted to a little more than 14 percent.
They documented a consistent drop in dementia rates for people born more recently. This trend indicates that as eligibility for the vaccine began to take effect, there was a notable drop in diagnosed cases. Of those who missed the eligibility cutoff by exactly one week, only 0.01 percent ever got the vaccine. This illustrates how narrowly the timing impacted their ability to access. Only 47 percent of those born one week after the cutoff date chose to get vaccinated.
Overall, the study found a convincing association between vaccination and reduced risk of developing dementia. This underscores the importance of public health efforts to increase shingles vaccination among older adults.
“People should get the shingles vaccine because it prevents shingles,” – Maxime Taquet
The live-attenuated shingles vaccine continues to be marketed globally. Its lower manufacturing costs and practical single-shot administration to the patient make it an attractive proposition. In 2013, the Welsh government began phasing in this version of the vaccine. To enroll, they focused on people born on/after 9/2/1933. The purpose of the effort was to improve public health by preventing shingles and its complications from occurring in the first place.
Recent studies have shown that vaccinations play an important role in helping to prevent shingles. Moreover, they can act as a buffer against dementia. With demographics changing and populations aging, knowing these links will be more and more important to health care providers and policymakers.
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