HEALTH: Older Americans Still Skipping Vaccinations.

It’s an ongoing and vexing public health problem: People once vigilant about vaccinating their children aren’t nearly as careful about protecting themselves as they age, even though diseases like influenza, pneumonia and shingles (a.k.a. herpes zoster) are particularly dangerous for older people.

“Trying to prevent these common and often debilitating conditions is incredibly important for older adults,” said Dr.Carolyn Bridges, associate director for adult immunization at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yet in the C.D.C.’s 2014 and 2015 reports on vaccination coverage, she said, “we really didn’t see much change.”

Most Americans over 65 get an annual flu shot, but the proportion actually declined a few percentage points last season to about 63 percent. The C.D.C. estimates that of the 226,000 people hospitalized for flu in an average year, 50 percent to 70 percent are over 65; so are the great majority of those who die from it. “Older adults take the brunt,” Dr. Bridges said.

Similarly, in 2014, about 61 percent of older adults had received one or both of the two pneumococcal vaccines, which protect against pneumococcal infections that can lead to pneumonia and meningitis. That represented no improvement, leaving millions of older people still vulnerable.

I’m meticulous about keeping my shots up.