Older adults have an increased risk for many preventable diseases. Recommended immunizations include seasonal flu/influenza vaccines, the Td or Tdap vaccine (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) and the shingles vaccine.
On December 14, CDC issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) advisory to healthcare providers and public health officials highlighting the increased respiratory disease activity occurring in the U.S. The HAN noted that low vaccination rates for COVID-19, influenza, and RSV could lead to more severe disease and a strained healthcare system for the rest of the season.
Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus. Monkeypox symptoms are similar to smallpox symptoms, but milder, and monkeypox is rarely fatal.