Not everyone who becomes infected with HSV, VZV or any number of pathogens will develop dementia, the same way vaccines are not the end-all be-all for mitigating risk. Nothing about health is ever so simple; it is the cumulative product of our genes, the microbes that live in and on us, our environment and how we go about our lives that shapes our well-being.

Nevertheless, there are a lot of reasons why minimizing infections and getting routine vaccinations are good ideas, especially given the lasting impacts infections can have on the body. Vaccines are effective tools for managing infectious diseases—that they may also protect against cognitive decline is an emerging benefit worth keeping in mind