“Each year, vaccine-preventable illnesses take the lives of an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 adults and result in $10 billion in preventable healthcare costs. Thousands of people suffer from illnesses that could have been prevented through recommended immunizations. In the case of pneumonia, more than 30% of seniors nationwide are not immunized against this dangerous illness, despite recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that everyone over the age of 65 get the vaccine. The finding comes from a recent report from IDSA and Trust for America’s Health, which also found adult vaccination rates for tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis to be alarmingly low. Equally alarming is the finding that in 2008 just 36 percent of all adults were vaccinated against influenza.”