Burden of vaccine-preventable diseases in adults (50+) in the United States: a retrospective claims analysis

This analysis suggests that VPD hospitalised cases suffer significantly worse clinical outcomes than controls, with downstream effects that include increased mortality and morbidity, and greater loss of independence. Evidence on potential downstream effects of infection is relatively new, and this additional burden is generally not considered in vaccine decision-making. More research is needed to disentangle the effect of VPDs on new comorbidities versus the natural course of the condition. Increasing awareness among adults, healthcare providers and decision makers could help to increase adult vaccination coverage, and reduce the clinical burden of VPDs.