Overview
- The European Society of Cardiology’s 2025 consensus names vaccination a fourth pillar of cardiovascular prevention, with the strongest data for influenza shots in cutting heart attacks and strokes.
- Large analyses link shingles vaccination to lower dementia risk, including Wales data showing about a 20% reduction over seven years and newer findings associating Shingrix with 17–25% lower risk.
- A Nature Communications study reports a dose‑response drop in Long Covid risk, falling about 50% after two COVID-19 doses and roughly 73% with three or more doses in older adults.
- Recent studies also associate flu and pneumococcal vaccines with fewer cardiovascular hospitalizations and events, including winter heart‑failure admissions down 18% and a 10–15% reduction in major events after pneumococcal shots.
- Coverage remains weak in key groups, with low uptake of RSV, flu and updated COVID vaccines in the U.S., while Mexico advises older adults to receive annual pneumococcal polysaccharide, tetanus‑diphtheria and seasonal influenza shots.