Vaccination not only protects against infectious diseases, but can provide added benefits in reducing cardiovascular events and potentially slowing cognitive decline by preventing triggers such as myocardial infarction, stroke, and inflammatory cascades caused by infection. 

Just as medications are routinely prescribed to reduce vascular risk, vaccination deserves the same attention and discussion. By incorporating vaccines into routine practice, clinicians can leverage a low-risk, cost-effective intervention to prevent infection related vascular complications and support long-term brain and heart health.

Ultimately, clinicians can add vaccination’s potential for preventing infection-related cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events to the list of the many other benefits of immunization. Patients’ knowledge of these additional benefits may well lead to increased vaccine uptake.