Overview
- An extensive University of California meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Heart Association finds the first four weeks after infection carry sharply higher risks, including roughly 5× higher stroke and 4× higher heart-attack risk after influenza and 3.1× and 2.9× increases for heart attack and stroke after SARS‑CoV‑2.
- The European Society of Cardiology now treats targeted immunization as a formal, standalone prevention measure for heart disease, reflecting mounting data that infections precipitate cardiovascular events.
- National advisors reiterate age- and risk-based recommendations, with Austria offering free influenza and pneumococcal shots for people 60+ and Germany’s STIKO advising annual flu and COVID‑19 boosters plus indicated RSV, zoster and HPV vaccines.
- Coverage remains poor: about one third of over‑60s receive the flu shot, roughly 20% are vaccinated against pneumococci, and only 16% obtained a COVID booster in winter 2023/24.
- Studies associate vaccination with fewer cardiovascular events, including about a 34% reduction after influenza vaccination and around a 10% reduction with pneumococcal vaccination in older adults, while proposed mechanisms involve infection-driven inflammation and coagulation; most events cluster in December–February.