Medical experts recommend that people age 65 and older should be vaccinated against pneumonia every five years because the disease is especially dangerous in older people. The elderly accounted for roughly 40 percent of the more than 1.1 million Americans hospitalized for pneumonia in 2011, and nearly 70 percent of the deaths when hospitalized for the condition.

But according to a recent report by the federal government’s Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), too few elderly Hispanics are getting vaccinated against pneumonia. AHRQ found that only about four-in-ten elderly Hispanics have ever been vaccinated for pneumonia, compared with six of every ten elderly Whites. One reason elderly Hispanics are not getting this important protection may be because they’re unaware they should be immunized against pneumonia every 5 years.

To inform older consumers how to protect their health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, offers the following free printed materials:

Mujeres: Sigan sanas después de los 50
(Women: Stay Healthy at 50 Plus)

Hombres: Sigan sanos después de los 50
(Men: Stay Healthy at 50 Plus).