According to the European Union, three out of four older people should be vaccinated against the flu. In Germany, the rate is significantly lower. That is why general practitioners and pharmacists are calling for people to take flu protection seriously again, especially after two years of the corona pandemic.
With the flu season approaching, GPs and pharmacists have been promoting influenza vaccination. In the planned nationwide vaccination campaign, in addition to the corona vaccination, the focus should also be on the flu vaccination, demanded the chairman of the German General Practitioners Association, Ulrich Weigeldt. The German Association of Pharmacists (DAV) called on the risk groups to protect themselves against the flu. The Paul Ehrlich Institute has released around 22 million doses of vaccine so far.
With a significant increase in vaccination rates, the upcoming flu season could be approached “much more relaxed”, explained Weigeldt at the start of the German House Doctors’ Day in Berlin. The target set by the European Union, according to which 75 percent of older people should be vaccinated against influenza, has so far not come close to being achieved in Germany. The nationwide vaccination rate in the 2019/2020 flu season was 38.8 percent for those over 60 years of age.
“After almost three years of corona focus, people need to be reminded of the relevance of other vaccinations in their daily lives,” demanded Weigeldt, who also sees politics as having a duty. The aim should be for at least two-thirds of older people to be vaccinated against influenza this season, “particularly because this year there could be a much more severe flu epidemic than in previous years.”
The risk of contracting the flu this fall “is likely to be greater for many because the immune system is not well prepared for the pathogen after two years with low flu numbers,” warned DAV chairman Thomas Dittrich on the sidelines of the German Pharmacists’ Day in Munich. A total of around 26 million doses are said to be available for the upcoming flu vaccination season. “That will be enough,” assured Dittrich.
The Standing Vaccination Commission recommends vaccination primarily for older people over the age of 60, chronically ill people with underlying conditions such as diabetes, asthma or cardiovascular diseases, medical and nursing staff and pregnant women. The risk groups are similar to those who also have to fear severe courses with Corona. However, the explicit recommendation for high-risk patients does not mean that everyone else is advised against vaccination.
The influenza vaccination should be carried out from mid-October to mid-December. Vaccination against Covid-19 and against influenza can be given at the same time.
