Health
Anyone over 50 should be getting these 5 vaccines, doctors say
Heading into the thick of flu and COVID season, there have been some recent changes to vaccine recommendations for people over age 50.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently lowered the age for pneumonia vaccinations by 15 years.
Instead of recommending the pneumococcal vaccine for those 65 and over, the shot is now suggested starting at age 50.
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“Everyone over 50 should be thinking about vaccines, because as we age, our immune system can become more vulnerable,” Dr. Susannah Hills, surgeon and assistant professor at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, told Fox News Digital.
When choosing which vaccinations to get, it is also important to consider personal risk, she said.
The CDC recently lowered the age for pneumonia vaccinations by 15 years, from 65 to 50. (iStock)
“Are there underlying health conditions like diabetes, immunodeficiency or cancer? If so, getting vaccinated becomes even more important.”
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To help people 50 and older keep track of immunization guidance for their age group, Fox News Digital gathered insights from several infectious disease experts.
1. Flu vaccine
The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older gets a flu vaccine every year, including those 50 and up.
Dr. Jennifer Dunphy, a public health doctor in Los Angeles, California, noted that the flu vaccine is known to significantly reduce deaths and hospitalizations (from 40% to 52%) in the 50 and older population.
“Everyone over 50 should be thinking about vaccines … As we age, our immune system can become more vulnerable.”
“It is recommended to get the vaccine at the end of summer, preferably in September, before the weather changes and viruses become more common,” she told Fox News Digital.
Common side effects include body aches and low-grade fever, the doctor noted.
The flu vaccine is known to significantly reduce deaths and hospitalizations (from 40% to 52%) in the 50 and older population, a doctor noted. (iStock)
“In some cases, there are very rare but more serious side effects that may impact the nervous system,” Dunphy said.
“The benefits of the vaccine for most people over 50 will outweigh any risks, but it is recommended to talk to your doctor.”
2. COVID-19 vaccine
The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older is vaccinated against COVID-19 and receives an updated vaccine each year, typically in the fall before the end of October.
The agency also advises people 65 and older to receive a second dose of the vaccine.
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“Together with flu and RSV, COVID is part of a triad of respiratory viruses that cause high rates of hospitalization and death in older adults, with increased risk seen with advancing age,” Dr. Amy Edwards, an infectious disease expert at UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, told Fox News Digital.
For the COVID-19 vaccine, it is recommended that people get two full doses spaced at least three weeks apart followed by annual boosters, a doctor said. (iStock)
For the COVID-19 vaccine, it is recommended that people get two full doses spaced at least three weeks apart followed by annual boosters, according to Dunphy.
The boosters are tailored to be effective against the most current strain of the virus, she said.
“The COVID vaccine works to increase the development of antibodies that fight against exposure turning into infection, and infection from transitioning into serious infection,” she said.
“Side effects vary, but are mostly limited to mild, flu-like symptoms.”
Some serious adverse effects have been linked to COVID vaccines, including anaphylactic shock, myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) or pericarditis (inflammation of the lining surrounding the heart), according to the CDC.
3. Pneumococcal vaccine
The pneumococcus (pneumonia) vaccine is recommended for children younger than 5 years and adults 50 years or older.
This is an update to previous guidance, which called for vaccines in adults 65 and older.
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This one-time vaccine is designed to protect against bacterial infections that can cause pneumonia, sepsis and meningitis.
The agency recommends giving one of three available vaccines — PCV15, PCV20 or PCV21 — to all adults 50 years or older who have never received a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine or who are uncertain of their vaccination history.
“The rate of hospitalizations and death from pneumonia goes up at age 50 and then again by a lot at age 65 years old,” Edwards told Fox News Digital.
“The rate of hospitalizations and death from pneumonia goes up at age 50 and then again by a lot at age 65 years old,” a doctor told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
“Typically, adults are advised to get a single dose, but some higher-risk adults may get a dose every five years.”
Side effects are generally minimal from this vaccine, she noted.
Fever, chills, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, joint pain, or redness, swelling, pain or tenderness at the injection site are some possible side effects, according to the CDC.
4. Tdap vaccine
The Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccine helps to protect against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis.
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Pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough, has seen a spike in the U.S. in 2024, with more than five times the cases reported at the same time last year.
“All adults should get the tetanus vaccine every 10 years, as that is the longest protection lasts,” Edwards advised.
Most doctors agree that it’s OK to get the COVID and flu vaccines at the same time. (iStock)
“Vaccination against whooping cough is sometimes recommended for some older adults, especially those who will spend time with very young children (grandchildren), as infants are at very high risk for death from whooping cough.”
The most common side effects after a Tdap vaccination include mild fever, headache, fatigue, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, and pain, swelling or redness at the injection site, the CDC stated.
Adults should discuss with their doctors about whether this vaccine is necessary.
5. Shingles vaccine
It is recommended that adults 50 and older receive two doses of Shingrix, the shingles vaccine, two to six months apart, per the CDC.
The vaccine protects against a condition called herpes zoster, more commonly known as shingles.
The infection causes a painful rash caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which can cause nerve damage, chronic nerve pain and sometimes inflammation of the brain, according to Edwards.
“Shingles becomes more common with each decade past 50,” she said.
It is recommended that adults 50 and older receive two doses of Shingrix, the shingles vaccine, two to six months apart, per the CDC. (iStock)
“This vaccine tends to be kind of rough, with high rates of fever and body aches,” Edwards cautioned.
“Many people who have had both say the shingles vaccine is as bad or worse than the mRNA COVID vaccines as far as making you feel bad for a day or two afterward.”
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The shingles vaccine is currently administered as a one-time, lifetime dose with no boosters recommended later in life for those vaccinated at around age 50, Edwards noted.
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Experts agree it’s best for each person to discuss a vaccine plan with his or her primary care physician.
Hills added, “Some people may be at higher risk and may need to get these vaccines earlier or may need other vaccines as well.”
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A new injectable therapy is showing positive results in reducing melanoma throughout a five-year period.
The personalized mRNA cancer therapy, called intismeran autogene, combined with the cancer immunotherapy drug KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), is a collaboration between Merck and Moderna.
The results from the phase 2b KEYNOTE-942 study were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago on May 27.
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After about a five-year follow-up, the combo drug was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone.
The researchers analyzed data from 157 patients with high-risk stage 3 and 4 melanoma whose cancer had been removed via surgery. The participants were split into two groups — one received the combo therapy and the other only received pembrolizumab, according to a press release.
The therapy was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone after a five-year follow-up. (iStock)
The findings revealed that the combination group saw benefits that were “sustained and durable over time.”
Intismeran autogene is designed using mutations identified in a patient’s own tumor, with the intention of teaching the immune system what the cancer looks like so that it can recognize and attack it.
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According to the researchers, intismeran is “well-tolerated” with a “manageable” safety profile.
The most commonly cited side effects of the personalized mRNA vaccine plus KEYTRUDA were fatigue, injection-site pain, chills, fever and headache. The researchers reported no new long-term safety concerns and no severe vaccine-related adverse events.
The combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study — the final confirmation stage.
Patients with late-stage melanoma have a “significant risk” of cancer recurrence, according to an expert. (iStock)
In a Merck press release from January, Kyle Holen, MD, Moderna’s senior vice president and head of development, oncology and therapeutics, noted that this data highlights the “potential of a prolonged benefit … in patients with resected high-risk melanoma.”
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“We continue to invest in our platform in oncology because of encouraging outcomes like these, which illustrate mRNA’s potential in cancer care,” he said.
Dr. Marjorie Green, senior vice president and head of oncology, global clinical development at Merck Research Laboratories, also commented that for many patients with stage 3 or 4 melanoma, there is a “significant risk of recurrence following surgery.”
Researchers confirmed that the combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study. (iStock)
“As such, demonstrating the longer-term potential of intismeran autogene and KEYTRUDA to reduce the risk of recurrence for certain patients with melanoma is a meaningful milestone,” she said.
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The company cited encouraging five-year follow-up data and pointed to upcoming late-stage INTerpath trial results with Moderna in several hard-to-treat cancers.
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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