In the last season, between 7 and 9 percent were vaccinated against influenza. Poles - accurate data is difficult to obtain because the number of doses distributed from RARS resources is not fully known. During the Flu & COVID-19 Meeting, experts did not hide their fear that such a good result, although clearly different from the rest of the highly developed countries, will not be repeated next season, because the Ministry of Health is ending the "experiment" of free vaccines on a larger scale.
The flu is back in the game
Published April 8, 2022 10:50
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In the season 2022/2023, according to the ministry's announcement, only vaccinations for the oldest seniors (75+) and pregnant women will be free. The pharmacy refund is to be maintained, but there will be no free vaccinations for healthcare workers or teachers, and - even more so - free vaccinations for all adult Poles. The latter decision is partially understandable - the ministry decided to open access to vaccinations so widely when the warehouses of RARS were full of influenza vaccines and the real threat was their mass disposal.
However, experts emphasize that such a radical change in approach is a mistake. First of all, people from risk groups, i.e. health care workers and seniors, but not over 75 and over 65, should be able to get vaccinated free of charge against influenza - because even then the risk of severe course and complications of influenza is very high. Chairman of the Scientific Council of the National Program Against Influenza, prof. Adam Antczak. - If we have a large percentage of infected people at certain points, the health service becomes ineffective - he said during the conference. He also pointed out that in the following seasons we should take into account a significant increase in the number of infections - and the last season has shown that the flu is back in the game, because the number of infections compared to the 2020/2021 season increased by over 150%, and hospitalizations - by over 250%
The coordinated Plan for Influenza and COVID-19 presented by experts contains key recommendations that should facilitate preparation for the fall infection season. They recommend, among others:
- taking into account the immunization needs of groups of people responsible for safety and health care, groups at high risk of complications from influenza, as well as refugees,
- early planning of the need for vaccines for the next season and the organization of vaccination,
- including vaccination against influenza and other diseases with the vaccination referral system (SMS alerts, e-referral, e-registration),
- a broad information campaign on vaccination reimbursement in all age groups and information on locations where they can be performed,
- enabling pharmacists and nurses to prescribe vaccines,
- enabling private medical practitioners and private nursing practitioners to purchase vaccines in pharmaceutical wholesalers.
