Interest In Dementia Vaccine High In U.S., Survey Finds

Americans’ skepticism of vaccines does not appear to extend to brain health, a new study says.

Nearly 3 out of 4 U.S. middle-aged people and seniors say they would likely or definitely take a vaccine to significantly reduce their risk of dementia, researchers reported Sept. 21 in JAMA Network Open.

There’s no vaccine yet that targets dementia, but researchers noted that several vaccines now on the market have been linked to lower dementia risk.

For example, evidence suggests that the shingles vaccine can lower the risk of dementia by up to 20%, researchers said in background notes.

Other jabs linked to lower dementia risk include the RSV, flu, pneumonia, hepatitis and DTP vaccines, according to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

“Older adults are highly interested in receiving a preventive dementia vaccine, while relatively few are opposed,” lead author Felipe Montano-Campos, a postdoctoral researcher at the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics, said in a news release.

For the new study, 1,529 adults 50 or older were asked about their interest in receiving a low-cost, multi-dose vaccine that would reduce the risk of dementia by half in people at high risk. Efforts are underway to develop such a vaccine, researchers noted.

Results showed that interest in a dementia vaccine increased with age. About 31% of people in their 50s said they definitely would get the vaccine, compared to 35% among those 70 and older.

The shingles vaccine appears to confer better protection against dementia to women than men, but women were more likely to be hesitant (23% versus 19%) and less likely to say they would definitely get the vaccine (29% versus 39%).

Black adults were most likely to be hesitant (26%) among racial and ethnic groups, and were nearly half as likely as white people to say they would definitely get the vaccine (20% versus 36%).

“As vaccine options emerge, efforts may be needed to address hesitancy among some groups, including those at higher risk for dementia,” Montano-Campos said.

More information

Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance has more on vaccines linked to a lower risk of dementia.

SOURCE: University of Southern California, news release, Sept. 21, 2026