Table 1.
Vaccination coverage rates and implemented policy elements aimed at increasing influenza vaccination coverage rates in 23 European countries in 2014/15.
| Bulgaria | Croatia | Czech Rep | Estonia | France | Germany | Greece | Hungary | Ireland (Eire) | Italy | Kosovo | Latvia | Lithuania | Netherlands | Poland | Portugal | Romania | Serbia | Slovakia | Spain | Switzerland | UK-England | UK-Scotland | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vaccine coveragerate | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elderly | ND | 20.1 | 24.9 | 1.1 | 50.8 | 35.3 | ND | 19.0 | 54.5 | 49.9 | 48.8 | 2.4 | 13.9 | 64.6 | 13.7 | 67.9 | 11.0 | 10.7 | 14.1 | 56.1 | 38.0 | 71.0 | 74.5 |
| Healthcare professionals | ND | 31.3 | 7.0 | ND | 46.0 | 39.2 | 26.3 | 30.7 | 22.5 | ND | 1.0 | ND | 27.0 | ND | 9.0 | 59.1 | 29.0 | 10.3 | ND | 27.5 | 21.0 | 50.6 | 36.0 |
| Living with a medical risk condition | ND | 34.4 | 20.0 | ND | 39.1 | ND | ND | 20.0 | ND | 21.4 | ND | ND | ND | 27.4 | ND | 59.6 | ND | ND | ND | ND | 30.0 | 45.1 | 48.0 |
| Influenza vaccination program policy element | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Influenza vaccination recommendation for elderly | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Influenza vaccination recommendation for HCPs | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Influenza vaccination recommendation for those living with a medical risk condition | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vaccination free for recommended patients (vaccine or administration) | no | yes | yes | no | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| National action plan to improve VCR | no | no | yes | no | NA | no | no | no | NA | NA | no | yes | no | no | yes | NA | no | no | no | NA | yes | yes | NA |
| Objective for 75% VCR in targeted groups | NA | NA | yes | NA | yes | yes | yes | no | yes | yes | no | yes | NA | no | no | yes | NA | NA | NA | NA | no | yes | NA |
| Yearly national VCR objective | no | no | no | no | NA | no | yes | no | NA | NA | no | no | no | no | no | NA | no | yes | no | NA | yes | yes | NA |
| Annual monitoring & communication of VCR, by target by HA | NA | NA | no | NA | NA | no | yes | yes | NA | NA | no | yes | NA | yes | no | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | yes | yes | NA |
| Summit before or during annual campaign | no | no | no | no | NA | NA | yes | no | NA | NA | yes | yes | yes | no | yes | NA | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no | NA |
| HCP have clear objectives to achieve in high-risk groups (GP and/or other specialist) | no | no | yes | no | NA | no | no | yes | NA | NA | no | yes | no | no | no | NA | no | no | no | NA | no | yes | NA |
| HCP financial incentive | no | no | yes | no | yes | no | no | no | yes | no | no | NA | no | yes | no | NA | no | no | no | no | no | yes | yes |
| Awareness campaign by HA and/or NVIG | yes | no | no | no | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | yes | no | yes | yes | yes | yes | NA |
| Awareness campaign: TV / radio | no | yes | no | yes | no | no | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | yes | yes |
| Awareness campaign: press advertisements for public | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no | yes | yes | no | yes | yes |
| Awareness campaign: flyers / leaflets/ folders in medical waiting rooms | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no | yes | no | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Awareness campaign: website for public | yes | yes | no | yes | yes | yes | no | yes | no | yes | yes | yes | no | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Awareness campaign: advertisements or mailings to HCP | yes | no | no | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | yes | yes | no | yes | no | no | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Additional data sources |
yes: fully or partially implemented; no: not implemented: NA: no answer.
65+ years and people with chronic respiratory or cardiovascular illness or diabetes on permanent medication
Slovak health insurance companies have paid vaccine and administration costs for everyone, not only for recommended target populations, for several years
Polish National Program for Influenza Prevention (NPIP) is a social initiative that does not receive financial support from the Ministry of Health or Sanitary Inspection
summits are organized by NPIP twice a year, with representatives from Polish Health Ministry, Sanitary Inspection, and Parliament. The most important activities are meetings: Flu Forum (at the beginning of the season, organized in September) and Flu Meeting (at the end of the season).
partially.
by the Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Data sources: ECDC22; Croatia -grip.hr – supported by NPH; France – Institut de veille sanitaire (InVS). Couverture vaccinale. http://invs.santepubliquefrance.fr//Dossiers-thematiques/Maladies-infectieuses/Maladies-a-prevention-vaccinale/Couverture-vaccinale/Donnees/Grippe, https://www.lequotidiendupharmacien.fr/actualite/article/2017/03/01/59-des-pharmaciens-vaccines-contre-la-grippe_264771?xtor = EPR-2-%5BNL_quotidienne%5D-20170301, Haut Conseil de la santé publique. Objectifs de santé publique: Évaluation des objectifs de la loi du 9 août 2004: Propositions (High Public Health Council. Public health objectives: Assessment of the objectives of the law of 9 August 2004: Proposals). 2010; Germany – Robert Koch Institut (RKI). RKI/ Epedimiologisches Bulletin 2017/1, http://www.rki.de/DE/Content/Infekt/EpidBull/Archiv/2016/47/Art_01.html; Hungary – OTH-ÁNTSZ (public health department of MoH), Ireland – http://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/influenza/seasonalinfluenza/influenzaandhealthcareworkers/hcwinfluenzavaccineuptakereports/File,15542,en.pdf, Health Protection Surveillance Centre. Influenza vaccine uptake and adults 65 years and older http://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/influenza/seasonalinfluenza/influenzaandadults65yearsandolder/Seasonal%20influenza%20uptake_Sep%202016_Feb%202017___12%2004%202017_10v_.pdf; Italy – Ministero della Salute. Piano Nazionale Prevenzione Vaccinale PNPV 2012‐2014 (Ministry of Health. National Vaccination Plan). 2012, Epicentro – Ministry of Health (http://www.epicentro.iss.it/problemi/influenza/CoperturaVaccinale2015-2016.asp, http://www.epicentro.iss.it/passi/dati/VaccinazioneAntinfluenzale.asp; Kosovo – National public health institute; Latvia – Center for disease prevention and control of Latvia, https://www.spkc.gov.lv/lv/informativi-izdevum; Netherlands – Heins M, Hooiveld M, ten Veen P, Korevaar J. Vaccine Coverage Dutch National Influenza Prevention Program 2015 – Brief monitor. Utrecht, NIVEL: 2016; Poland – Czarkowski MP, Kondej B, Staszewska-Jakubik E, Cieląbek E (2016) Vaccinations in Poland in 2015. National Institute of Public Health – National Institute of Hygiene – Department of Epidemiology, Warszawa; Portugal – Direção‐Geral da Saúde (DGS). Vacinação contra a gripe com a vacina trivalente para a época 2015/2016 (Directorate General for Health (DGS). Influenza vaccination with trivalent vaccine for the season 2015/2016). 2015; Serbia – National public health institute; Slovakia – Report of Influenza season 2015/16 in the Slovak Republik, web of Public Health Authority of SR: http://www.uvzsr.sk/docs/info/epida/Vyhodnotenie_chripkovej_sezony_2015_2016.pdf; Spain – Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad. Coverturas de Vacunacion. Datos estadísticos. https://www.msssi.gob.es/profesionales/saludPublica/prevPromocion/vacunaciones/docs/CoberturasVacunacion/Tabla10.pdf; Switzerland – Office fédéral de la santé publique (OFSP). Recommandations pour la vaccination contre la grippe (Federal Office of Public Health. Recommendations for vaccination against influenza). 2011; Nationale Strategie zur Prävention der saisonalen Grippe (GRIPS), Bull OFSP 2016; Nr. 37:559-566; UK – Screening and Immunisations Team, Health and Social Care Information Centre. NHS Immunisation Statistics England, 2014‐15. 2015, https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/544552/Seasonal_flu_GP_patient_groups_annual_report_2015_2016.pdf, https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/508557/HCWs_Seasonal_Flu_Vaccine_February_Final_Report_170316.pdf, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-flu-reports, https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/600880/annual_flu__letter_2017to2018.pdf, https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/600880/annual_flu__letter_2017to2018.pdf.