Booster policy for adults.

A little over 100 years ago the first vaccines were manufactured. Since this time of success no vaccines have been developed for the great scourges of our time i.e. Malaria, helminthic disease and HIV. The morbidity and mortality rates of pneumococcal infection, influenza, hepatitis B and lately diphtheria are high, while vaccination booster rates among adults are not of acceptable values. The following causes have been taken into consideration: (1) there is no acceptance of the necessity of vaccination (2) physicians themselves do not have sufficiently favourable attitudes towards vaccines to put a special emphasis on vaccination for their patients; (3) Quite often a period of 20-30 years will pass between the time of leaving school (at 18 years) and incidence of major illness (visit to a doctor), so that there is no medical counsel concerning prophylaxis for the adult population; (4) high-risk groups are clearly defined but few of them are properly advised and get proper medical attention. Suggested booster strategies are: (1) professional advisory service for population groups and special schooling for physicians; (2) development of a patient chip card containing information about vaccinations, booster intervals and person's history for every physician; and (3) development of new combined vaccines for adults such as influenza and pneumococcal vaccine alone or in combination with diphtheria and tetanus toxoid.