The discovery of vaccines is undoubtedly one of the greatest achievements of medicine throughout time. They save millions of lives around the world, prevent disabilities, improve the quality of life and have eliminated many diseases that plague humanity from the global health map. An issue that concerns science regarding the prevention of infections is the non-rational implementation of vaccination programs. It is really an oxymoron phenomenon (amidst a plethora of modern vaccines) that results in the re-emergence of infections that had disappeared, precisely because of laxity in vaccination programs.

This, of course, is not due to the ineffectiveness of vaccines but to the non-rational application of modern vaccination practices. When and where there is a deviation from the correct use of vaccines (negligence, economic hardship, anti-vaccination obsessions, neglected population groups, etc.) then there is a re-emergence of diseases that had disappeared due to vaccinations. A classic example is the measles that recently reappeared in many European countries.

The vaccines they are much safer than drugs. They are based on clinical studies involving thousands of people, while national and supranational organizations constantly evaluate them for their quality, effectiveness and safety. And they have the characteristic of very low cost in relation to the benefit they provide in the long term compared to other interventions in the field of public health (e.g. anti-smoking campaign, water chlorination, advertisement for safety belts, etc.)

We are all used to the classic vaccinations that pediatricians perform on infants and young children to boost their immunity. However, humans are constantly in need of immune boosting to fight pathogens because as they grow older, risk factors such as age are added.

Today, adult vaccinations are considered as important as childhood and adolescent vaccinations.

Our country has an excellent and generous national vaccination program with modern, effective and safe vaccines.

The vaccines included in the National Program for adults are the following:

1. Flu. Each year a different vaccine is administered, at the beginning of the winter season, in a single dose. People >60 years old or with risk factors.
2. Tetanus-diphtheria-whooping cough. Tetanus booster every 10 years. Anti-tetanus serum (prepared antibodies) in dirty wounds or animal bites. Whooping cough is re-emerging in under-vaccinated people.
3. Measles-rubella-mumps (MMR). People born before 1970 are considered immune. As mentioned above, there is an outbreak of measles due to insufficient vaccination.
4. Chicken pox. Adults born after 1990 without proven immunity should be vaccinated.
5. Herpes zoster. People >60 years old or immunocompromised. 2 doses.
6. Human papillomavirus (HPV). The goal is to eliminate cervical cancer and rectal cancer.
7. Pneumococcus (PCV20). A single lifetime dose in people >65 years of age or with underlying diseases.
8. Hepatitis A. To people of special groups.
9. Hepatitis B. Those who have not been vaccinated in childhood and belong to special groups.
10. Meningitidococcus (quadruplex, group B). Groups of increased risk.
11. Heimofilou B. Unvaccinated special groups.
12. Monkey pox. In special groups.
13. COVID-19. It looks like it will now be given on an annual basis just like the flu shot.
14. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). It will begin to be administered to pregnant women (protection of the newborn) and ages >60 or >70 years depending on the number of comorbidities.

However, a perfect vaccination program is not enough by itself. At the same time, accurate recording of the vaccination coverage of the entire population at the individual level is required. That is, the creation of a National Register of Immunizations of children, adolescents and adults, over time. Already the National Immunization Committee has started planning and implementing this huge but absolutely necessary project.