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Despite their limitations (see CIDRAP: A Comprehensive Flu Vaccine Effectiveness Meta-Analysis) most public health officials view getting the seasonal flu vaccine each year as the single best preventative against catching influenza. Flu vaccines have an enviable safety record, and most years provide a moderate level of protection against the strains in circulation.
Unfortunately, the uptake of flu vaccines – including among those at higher risk of influenza complications and and healthcare workers – remains far lower than most public health authorities would like to see.
Today the ECDC has published a technical report that reviews the existing literature on the drivers, and barriers, to seasonal influenza vaccination. The full report runs about 33 pages, and will be of most interest to those involved in flu vaccine deployment, and public health messaging.
Note: I encountered an error when trying to open this PDF file with some software (which will hopefully be corrected) – so check back if you have a problem.
Below you’ll find the press release, summary, and link.
Evidence review on the barriers and drivers of seasonal influenza vaccination coverage in Europe
04 Nov 2013
The new ECDC report aims to provide a critical review of evidence on the barriers and drivers of seasonal influenza vaccination coverage in the EU/EEA. The report focuses on high-risk groups where high coverage of seasonal flu vaccination is most important. The quality and breadth of evidence on interventions varies considerably for the different groups:
- For the elderly population (65 year olds and older) and healthcare workers, there is published evidence on specific types of interventions to increase the uptake of seasonal flu vaccination.
- For patients with chronic conditions, the evidence is scattered and not concentrated on any particular groups of chronically ill people, limiting the transferability of conclusions and application to this group as a whole.
- For pregnant women and children, the evidence found was scarce and low permitting few conclusions.
The report tries to address the following key questions:
- What are the current gaps in research on the drivers and barriers to increase seasonal flu vaccination coverage?
- Can we identify examples of good practice that increase vaccination uptake in all groups?
- How can the current low rates of healthcare workers’ influenza vaccination coverage be improved?
Every winter, influenza epidemics cause significant morbidity and mortality throughout Europe. High-risk groups such as older people, individuals with chronic diseases, pregnant women and small children are most affected by these epidemics. Healthcare workers are also at high risk of getting influenza or transmitting it to patients. Seasonal vaccination against flu viruses reduces the burden of disease in these groups and is widely available in most EU/EEA countries.
The 2009 Council of the European Union Recommendation on seasonal influenza vaccination encourages countries to implement measures that would increase seasonal influenza vaccination uptake to at least 75% for defined older age groups, and, if possible, for other risk groups. In support of this, the new ECDC report summarises the evidence on what are the barriers and what are the drivers for seasonal influenza vaccination by each risk group.
Some recent seasonal influenza vaccine related blogs include:
JAMA: Flu Vaccine and Cardiovascular Outcomes
PLoS One: Limited Effectiveness Of Flu Vaccines In The Elderly
BMC Infectious Diseases: Waning Flu Vaccine Protection In the Elderly
NPM13: Giving Preparedness A Shot In The Arm
