France H1N1: Less than 8 % of vaccinated

[tetano]

Less than 8 % of the Frenchmen were vaccinated against influenza A-H1N1 during the campaign thrown by the government, a number that a study of the Institute of health wakefulness (InVS) made public on Thursday considers deficient. About 64,9 million persons were invited from October to make vaccinate against the virus appeared in July, 2009 in Mexico and the epidemic of which was ended in January in France, where this influenza made 312 deaths according to the last epidemiological newsletter of InVS, dated from April 20th. The experts raised important difference according to ages. Vaccination was the most frequent at the old child's from 6 to 23 months (20,7 %) and the weakest to the 18-24 years (3,1 %). The rate of vaccinated pregnant women attains 22,7 %.

http://www.lejdd.fr/Societe/Sante/Depeches/H1N1-Moins-de-8-des-Francais-vaccines-220673/

 

[tetano]

Re: France H1N1: Less than 8 % of vaccinated

Insuffisance de couverture vaccinale grippale A(H1N1)2009 en population g?n?rale et dans les groupes ? risque durant la pand?mie 2009-2010 en France



ABSTRACT

In France, the immunization campaign against influenza A(H1N1)2009 started on the 20 October 2009. A written invitation for free vaccination in local immunization centers was sent to all individuals by the national health insurance, according to a pre-defined order of priority. Individual demographic and vaccination data were entered in a central database containing 64.9 million records. We estimated overall and specific high risk population vaccination coverage. Coverage was defined as the number of persons who had received at least one dose of pandemic vaccine in a specific group among the total population invited in that same group.

Overall pandemic vaccine coverage was 7.9%, and varied with age: it was highest in 6-23 months old children (20.7%), decreased then, reaching 3.1% in the 18-24 years age group, increased to 5-8% in older adults, and was 7.6% in persons aged 65 years or above. Young adult women (25-44 years) had a higher vaccination rate than young adult men (8.2% vs 5.9%, p<0.001), whereas the vaccination rate was higher in males belonging to the 45+ age group (8.2% vs 6.0%, p<0.001) than in females of the same age. Rates in the 22 regions of mainland France ranged from 6.1% (Languedoc-Roussillon) to 12.0% (Brittany) (median= 8.2%). Coverage in pregnant women was 22.7%.

These low coverage figures confirm that the French population was not very sensitive to the key messages delivered by health authorities, and are likely to reflect the controversies about the A(H1N1)2009 vaccine and the organization of the vaccination campaign, as well as the low perception of the risk linked to pandemic influenza by the population. These findings have important implications for the next influenza season and for future pandemics.

http://www.invs.sante.fr/behweb/2010/03/index.htm