Influenza vaccine coverage in age-related risk groups in Poland, 2004-2007

Influenza vaccination rate among high risk group patients in primary health care in Greece

OBJECTIVE

Seasonal influenza vaccination is the main method for influenza prevention. The main objective of this study is to estimate the frequency of vaccinations in patients with chronic illnesses presented to a primary health care (PHC) centre.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was performed in patients admitted to the Kapandriti Health Centre. Their vaccination status with an influenza vaccine and their underlying diseases were recorded.

RESULTS

34.8% of the subjects had been vaccinated against seasonal influenza. Vaccination coverage was found to be 53.9% in pulmonary, 55.6% in chronic kidney disease, 43.7% in cardiovascular disorders, 40.6% in diabetes, 40.6% in any kind of malignancy, and finally 33.3% in neurological patients. The most significant predictors for vaccination were the age group of 60 to 79 years (OR = 3.08, 95% CI: 1.79-5.29), age over 80 years (OR = 2.91, 95% CI: 1.58-5.36), respiratory disease (OR = 2.25, 95% CI: 1.33-3.76), cardiovascular disorder (OR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.02-2.10), and 3 to 5 visits to the unit annually (OR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.12-2.24). Finally, it was discovered that coexistence of one to three diseases reduced the likelihood ratio for vaccine uptake (OR = 0.15, 95% CI: 0.03-0.79, p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The influenza vaccination rate for the population of the present study has been found higher than that reported previously in literature. We believe that there is a need to implement new and more effective strategies such as educating vulnerable groups on the benefits of vaccination and so reducing the incidence of influenza and its complications especially in vulnerable groups.

Are we speaking the same language? an argument for the consistent use of terminology and definitions for childhood vaccination indicators

Vaccination indicators are used to measure the health status of individuals or populations and to evaluate the effectiveness of vaccination programs or policies. Ensuring that vaccination indicators are clearly and consistently defined is important for effective communication of outcomes, accurate program evaluation, and comparison between different populations, times, and contexts. The purpose of this commentary is to describe commonly used vaccination indicators and to highlight inconsistencies in how childhood vaccine researchers use and define these terms. The indicators we describe are vaccine coverage, uptake, and rate; vaccination status, initiation, and completion; and up-to-date, timely, partial, and incomplete vaccination. We conclude that many vaccination indicators are not explicitly defined within published research studies and/or are used quite differently across studies. We also note that the choice of indicator in a given study is often driven by program or vaccine specific factors, may be constrained by data availability, and should be chosen to best reflect the outcome of interest. We conclude that the use of consistent language and definitions would promote more effective communication of research findings. We also propose some standardized definitions for common indicators, with the goal of provoking discussion and debate on the issue.

Stagnating Low Influenza Vaccine Coverage Rates in the Polish Elderly Population in 2008-2013

Although annual vaccination is the most effective way of preventing the disease and its severe outcomes, influenza vaccine coverage rates have always been at suboptimal levels in Poland. A retrospective analysis was conducted on influenza vaccine coverage rates among patients older than 65 years at local and national levels. Influenza vaccine coverage rates among the elderly in the capital city of Warsaw ranged from 20.5% in 2013 to 31.5% in 2010 and these rates were higher than those reported at the national level (from 7.6% in 2012 to 11.3% in 2009). At a local level the proportion of vaccines given to the elderly compared to all vaccinated individuals varied from 40 to 52% which was comparable to the proportions reported at the national level (37-48.5%). 69% of the elderly were only vaccinated once during the observation period, and only 0.5% of them repeated the vaccination in each subsequent year. The chance of being vaccinated against influenza more than once was statistically higher among women than men (OR 4.9; 95% CI 4.2-5.8). Influenza vaccine coverage rates are low at both local and national levels and ought to be improved in Poland in future.

Attitudes of the medical students from two Czech universities to pandemic flu A (H1N1) 2009 and to influenza vaccination

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the study was to find out the approach of students to vaccination against seasonal influenza, how they perceived risk associated with influenza pandemic, and whether the pandemic influenced their approach to vaccination against seasonal flu.

METHODS

Data collection was conducted through an anonymous questionnaire survey. Distribution and collection of questionnaires took place from November to December 2010 at the medical faculties of two universities. Out of the total 360 distributed questionnaires, 343 were filled. The qualitative data were analysed using chi2 test and Fisher's exact test. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) and two-sample t-test were used for the evaluation of quantitative data. Statistical tests were performed at a significance level of 5% in STATA 10.

RESULTS

The proportion of students regularly vaccinated against seasonal flu was low (4%). Students rated the risk of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) in 2009 as relatively low and an interest in vaccination did not increase even during the pandemic and consequently only 5% expressed their interest to get vaccinated during the pandemic. However, only 3% of respondents were vaccinated at the time of vaccine availability. In the following year, only 5% of respondents planned to get vaccinated against seasonal influenza.

CONCLUSION

The results of the questionnaire study indicate that young people have not perceived vaccination against influenza as an important anti-epidemic measure and their opinion have not changed even during the outbreak of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) in 2009.

Reasons for low influenza vaccination coverage: cross-sectional survey in Poland

AIM

To assess the reasons for low influenza vaccination coverage in Poland, including knowledge of influenza and attitudes toward influenza vaccination.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional, anonymous, self-administered survey in primary care patients in Lodzkie voivodship (central Poland). The study participants were adults who visited their primary care physicians for various reasons from January 1 to April 30, 2007.

RESULTS

Six hundred and forty participants completed the survey. In 12 months before the study, 20.8% participants had received influenza vaccination. The most common reasons listed by those who had not been vaccinated were good health (27.6%), lack of trust in vaccination effectiveness (16.8%), and the cost of vaccination (9.7%). The most common source of information about influenza vaccination were primary care physicians (46.6%). Despite reasonably good knowledge of influenza, as many as approximately 20% of participants could not point out any differences between influenza and other viral respiratory tract infections.

CONCLUSIONS

The main reasons for low influenza vaccination coverage in Poland were patients' misconceptions and the cost of vaccination. Therefore, free-of-charge vaccination and more effective informational campaigns are needed, with special focus on high-risk groups.