seasonal influenza vaccination
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Author(s):  
Amal M. Alshahrani ◽  
Hamzh Esam Mellebary ◽  
Yara Rashed A. Albayyahi ◽  
Ali Ibrahim Ali Alsakiti ◽  
Abdullaziz A. Alshahrani ◽  
...  

Background: Considering the important role of health workers in increasing seasonal influenza vaccination coverage and the similarity of seasonal influenza to COVID -19, it is important to increase vaccination rates to reduce the risk of both diseases. Objective: In this study, we aim to investigate how health workers perceive the importance of influenza vaccination, especially in the era of COVID -19. Results: The study involved 316 health workers from Abha in 2021, most of them were physicians, male and young. Participants agreed that influenza can be a serious illness and that the vaccine is very safe. Most HCWs would have preferred to inform their patients about the vaccine. This result changes if the patient disagrees with the COVID -19 vaccine. Conclusion: Despite the low rate of seasonal influenza vaccination, there is a need to recruit health workers to increase this rate, especially in the Covid 19 era.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Théophile Baïssas ◽  
Florence Boisnard ◽  
Inmaculada Cuesta Esteve ◽  
Marta Garcia Sánchez ◽  
Christine E. Jones ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Pertussis and seasonal influenza are responsible for significant maternal, neonatal, and infant morbidity and mortality, but vaccine coverage rates (VCR) for both pertussis (administered as a tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis [Tdap] vaccination) and seasonal influenza in pregnancy remain generally low. Only a small number of countries, including Spain, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US), have high Tdap and seasonal influenza VCRs in pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to identify the key factors that contributed to the high VCRs observed in these countries. Methods The experience from both Tdap and seasonal influenza vaccination programmes during pregnancy were documented in Spain, the UK, and the US using a three-step approach. A literature review yielded 157 publications, and a further 117 documents were selected through desk research. A published five-pillar VCR framework for influenza was amended to evaluate the specific contributing factors leading to high Tdap and seasonal influenza VCRs among pregnant women. Results The analysis identified components that contributed to higher VCR in pregnant women across three different healthcare systems in Spain, UK, and US. The combination of several key interventions in each country led to a rapid increase in VCR that reached near-optimal levels (i.e. 75% for seasonal influenza) within a few years. As well as inclusion in national immunisation programme and vaccine reimbursement, key components that were identified included the mobilisation of health authorities, prenatal care Healthcare Professionals (HCP) and scientific societies, the inclusion of vaccination in antenatal medical guidance, the provision of educational material to HCPs, and a strong disease awareness driven by recent pertussis outbreaks in each country. Conclusions Although there is no simple, universal solution to improving sub-optimal VCRs, the list of components identified in this study from three countries with high-performing Tdap and seasonal influenza vaccination programmes provides a basis for public health and medical stakeholders in other countries to define strategies to successfully implement national vaccination programmes for pregnant women.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharina Wild ◽  
Maike Smits ◽  
Saskia Killmer ◽  
Shirin Strohmeier ◽  
Christoph Neumann-Haefelin ◽  
...  

AbstractEffectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccination varies between individuals and might be affected by vaccination history among other factors. Here we show, by monitoring frequencies of CD4 T cells specific to the conserved hemagglutinin epitope HA118-132 and titres of IgG against the corresponding recombinant hemagglutinin protein, that antigen-specific CD4 T cell and antibody responses are closely linked to pre-existing immunity and vaccine history. Upon immunization, a strong early reaction is observed in all vaccine naïve participants and also in vaccine experienced individuals who have not received the respective seasonal vaccine in the previous year. This response is characterized by HA118-132 specific CD4 T cells with a follicular helper T cell phenotype and by ascending titers of hemagglutinin-specific antibodies from baseline to day 28 following vaccination. This trend was observed in only a proportion of those participants who received the seasonal vaccine the year preceding the study. Regardless of history, levels of pre-existing antibodies and CD127 expression on CD4 T cells at baseline were the strongest predictors of robust early response. Thus, both pre-existing immunity and vaccine history contribute to the response to seasonal influenza vaccines.


Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1336
Author(s):  
Piotr Samel-Kowalik ◽  
Mateusz Jankowski ◽  
Mira Lisiecka-Biełanowicz ◽  
Aurelia Ostrowska ◽  
Mariusz Gujski ◽  
...  

We aimed to assess attitudes towards the influenza vaccine and factors associated with a willingness to vaccinate against seasonal influenza in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic (flu season 2020/2021). This cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was carried out between 5 and 15 November 2020 on a representative nationwide sample of 1052 individuals aged 18+ in Poland. Of the respondents, 5.5% (95% CI: 4.3–7.0%) declared that they had already got vaccinated against influenza and 13.4% (95% CI: 11.4–15.6%) declared a willingness to vaccinate against influenza during the 2020/2021 season. Out of nine different factors analyzed in this study, only three were significantly associated with attitudes towards influenza vaccination. Participants aged 75 years and over (OR = 5.82; 95% CI: 2.63–12.85), as well as participants aged 60–74 years (OR = 2.43; 95% CI: 1.30–4.54), compared to those aged 19–29, had significantly higher odds of having a positive attitude towards seasonal influenza vaccination. Respondents who define themselves as completely religious unbelievers (OR = 4.34; 95% CI: 1.79–10.55), as well as Internet users (OR = 2.12; 95% CI: 1.30–3.47), had higher odds of having a positive attitude towards influenza vaccination. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the percentage of adults in Poland who already got vaccinated or declared a willingness to vaccinate against influenza remains low. This also applies to high-risk groups.


Vaccine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy G. Buchman ◽  
Steven Q. Simpson ◽  
Kimberly L. Sciarretta ◽  
Kristen P. Finne ◽  
Nicole Sowers ◽  
...  

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