SCIENCE / MEDICINE : Adults Risk Health Without Immunization

Thousands of adults who don’t keep their immunizations up to date become seriously ill or die from easily preventable illnesses, a government-sponsored survey shows. The study by the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control said that children are immunized routinely but that adults are more difficult to reach.

The study showed that in 1985, the last year for which complete figures are available, about 20% of people at high risk for flu-related illnesses were vaccinated but that there are an estimated 40,000 flu-related deaths annually. The survey found at least 10,000 excess deaths, primarily among the elderly, from 19 flu epidemics from 1957 to 1986.