Suboptimal Vaccination Rates Leave Children, Older Adults Susceptible to Respiratory Illness
Outpatient Respiratory Illness Activity Map Determined by Data Reported to ILINet
Learn more: https://gis.cdc.gov/grasp/fluview/main.html
In the United States, respiratory illness season has gotten off to a slow start; as of December 6, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has categorized the level of acute respiratory illness causing people to seek healthcare as “moderate”. However, suboptimal vaccination rates for COVID-19 and influenza mean that Americans are still susceptible to serious illness in the coming months. We must focus on increasing widespread vaccination uptake for seasonal vaccines, particularly among those populations that are most at-risk, to avoid outbreaks and prevent a strain on our health system.
Only 1 in 5 adults over 18 and just under 1 in 10 children have reported getting the updated 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccine. This year’s influenza vaccination rates are slightly higher, at approximately 39% for adults over 18 and 37% for children – still significantly lower than rates among children at this point in the season in the past several years.
Although vaccination against influenza and COVID-19 does not eliminate the risk of disease transmission, immunization can significantly reduce an individual’s risk of severe disease, which could require hospitalization. With cases of pertussis and Mycoplasma pneumoniae (also known as “walking pneumonia”) on the rise, hospitals, and especially emergency departments could quickly become overwhelmed in the coming months.
Another group that is particularly susceptible to these respiratory illnesses is older adults, with the majority of influenza-related hospitalizations and deaths in the United States among those over 65. In addition to receiving annual COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations, the CDC recommends that older adults should also be vaccinated against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV); this recommendation covers those 75 and older as well as those 60–74 who are at an increased risk of severe RSV disease. As of November 23, an estimated 4 in 10 adults over 75 reported ever receiving a vaccine for RSV; we need to work to increase this coverage to effectively prevent disease. Additionally, this year, the CDC lowered the recommended age for pneumococcal vaccination from 65 to 50 in an effort to reduce the rate of pneumococcal infection and resulting illnesses among this population.
Although we are not yet seeing huge outbreaks of respiratory illnesses like COVID-19 and influenza, it is critical that we work to increase vaccination coverage to prevent severe disease among our most vulnerable populations, such as infants, young children, and older adults. We must continue to promote the importance and safety of these vaccines, address misinformation and disinformation, and maintain and expand access to life-saving immunization for all.
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