Results from the global burden of disease study 2021 showed declines in the incidence of acute hepatitis A, B, E, and varicella and herpes zoster among older adults but also that disparities still remain. A new study published in Vaccine evaluated the global, regional, and national burden of these four vaccine preventable infectious diseases (VPDs) among adults aged 55–89 years from 1990 to 2021, in the context of an aging population.
Findings showed that in 2021, the global incidence of four VPDs among adults was 1698.8 cases per 100,000 population, with a total of 25,243,776 new cases and 719,888 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). From 1990 to 2021, the incidence rates of acute hepatitis A and acute hepatitis B consistently declined, whereas those of acute hepatitis E, varicella and herpes zoster moderately increased.
In 2021, sub-Saharan Africa had the highest overall burden of the four diseases, whereas high-income Asia Pacific (945.7 per 100,000 population) and Western Europe (840.7 per 100,000 population) had the highest incidence rates of varicella and herpes zoster. Acute hepatitis A and acute hepatitis B were more prevalent in low- and middle-social development index (SDI) regions, whereas increasing trends for acute hepatitis E and varicella and herpes zoster were observed in higher-SDI regions. The incidence rates of acute hepatitis A and acute hepatitis B were higher in males than in females and decreased with age.
Public health efforts must focus on improving vaccine access and targeting at-risk populations, especially older adults, to address the burden of VPDs.
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