In my opinion, getting older should be in itself treated as an illness, not a fatality. Death is indeed a fatality, but that fatality should not necessarily happen because of getting older.

However, I do agree with you on the point that countries need to be prepared for extreme contingencies in a better way. I read many reports several years ago (Strategic defense-related) that in the near future, terrorists would use biological warfare instead of post-conventional warfare because of its effectiveness and operational cost. What we are seen today is a clear proof of how effective such warfare can be, and if older people are generally more prone to such things (even though all ages could be targeted with different pathogens), safety protocols need to be established accordingly to it.