27/10/2025
4 vaccines that can help prevent dementia
Shingles vaccine - Shingles (herpes zoster) is an infection that causes a painful rash caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), the same virus that causesĀ chickenpox.
A 2025 study published in Nature showed that the shingles vaccine (Shingrix) reduced the risk of dementia by 20%.
If you are eligible for the shingles vaccine (>50 years old in Malaysia), you should get the vaccine, irrespective of your desire to decrease your risk of dementia. Shingles is a painful disease that can lead to lifelong chronic pain or other serious complications.
RSV vaccine - It prevents respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections. RSV is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms which can develop into serious lung infections, especially in infants, older adults, and people with chronic medical conditions.
In a 2025 paper published in NPJ Vaccines, the researchers found that the RSV vaccine (as well as the shingles vaccine) was associated with a reduced risk of dementia over 18 months compared with those who received the flu vaccine.
Tdap vaccine - The Tdap vaccine, which prevents tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough), is the adult version of the vaccine. The DTaP vaccine is the version for children.
A 2022 study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society examined over 200,000 patients and found that older adults who received both the shingles and Tdap vaccines had a further reduced risk of dementia compared with those who only received one of the vaccines.
Flu vaccine - The annual seasonal flu vaccine prevents the current circulating strains of the flu.
In a 2022 study published in the Journal of Alzheimerās Disease, researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center analyzed a health database of over 1.8 million adults, ages 65 and over. They determined that the group who received at least one flu vaccination was 40% less likely to develop Alzheimerās disease during the following four years.
A 2024 study published in NPJ Vaccines showed that the flu vaccine was associated with a 17% reduction in dementia.
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