Health authorities call for the flu vaccine

The Robert Koch Institute and German health authorities are calling for vaccination against the flu. For the first time a pregnant woman is recommended to vaccinate.

(14.09.2010) German health authorities such as the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) call on the occasion of the incipient flu season all particularly susceptible to the disease to undergo a flu vaccine. For the first time, pregnant women are also advised to get vaccinated, as they were disproportionately admitted to a clinic with swine flu infection last year, and the course of normal influenza in pregnant women is usually much more severe. However, Germans' reservations about flu vaccines are still high and so the health authorities are committed to a particularly comprehensive information campaign this year.

“We know that targeted information campaigns are necessary“, emphasizes Susanne Glasmacher of the Robert Koch Institute. For example, as every year, starting with the flu season, the experts call for a flu vaccine to protect against the most common influenza viruses. The current vaccine, according to Paul-Ehrlich Institute President Klaus Cichutek, protects against the three most common types of influenza virus, including swine flu (H1N1). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the H1N1 virus will return to Germany in the coming fall or winter.

October and November are the ideal time for vaccine professionals and close to 10 to 14 days after vaccination, full vaccination coverage is in place. The risk groups that health authorities believe should definitely be vaccinated include anyone over the age of 60, people with chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular, diabetic or chronic lung disease. In addition, for the reasons mentioned above, pregnant women will also be vaccinated for the first time this year. The experts, such as the president of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Reinhard Burger, have vaccination rates of 50 to 60 percent - comparable to the Scandinavian countries - as a long-term goal in mind. This is also connected with a considerable economic dimension, so that such ideas in the opinion of the author and Impfexperten. Martin shepherd are extremely critical to evaluate. Because the production and distribution of the substances offer a huge field of business, behind which stands a strong lobby, which has a great interest in the positive presentation of vaccinations.

However, all health authorities agree on the vaccination of those at risk and, moreover, unanimously demand higher immunization coverage for staff in hospitals, doctor's offices and nursing homes, as the risk of infection is particularly high here. The vaccination rates for medical staff are far too low at around 20 percent, emphasizes Birte Kirschbaum of the Federal Center for Health Education (BzgA). Therefore, the BzgA has provided all 65,000 doctors with new informational materials to inform the staff and those at risk of the benefits of a flu vaccine.

Millions of people suffer from influenza every year in Germany, and while most patients suffer from relatively mild symptoms, the influenza virus can have extremely serious health consequences for the above-mentioned risk groups. The Working Group on Influenza at the Robert Koch Institute estimates that around 2.9 million additional visits to doctors and 5,300 influenza-related hospital admissions were necessary in the mid-2009/05 influenza epidemic and those affected had to be written about 1.5 million times out of work. Thorsten Wolff, head of influenza research at the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in Berlin, warns against underestimating influenza viruses because these are still dangerous and treacherous opponents. The fight against the influenza virus can not be won in the opinion of the expert, as the viruses continuously change their structure and occur in ever new forms. “This is Cold War, virus against human,” emphasized Thorsten Wolff of the RKI.

The Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI), which is responsible for approving the vaccines, has so far released 20.5 million doses of vaccine this year, with the current vaccine („Fluvax Junior“) based on a combination of the influenza strains A and B with the H1N1 virus. This combination was considered to be relatively unproblematic by the time of this year's first in-flu vaccination in Australia in May, as it is a traditional split vaccine, without the controversial enhancers used in Europe's vaccines against swine flu. However, the first extensive vaccinations with the new vaccine often resulted in significant side effects. Many patients suffered from severe febrile seizures after administration and a two-year-old child died without known pre-existing conditions within 12 hours of vaccination. Therefore, the Australian government has withdrawn its vaccination recommendations and now advises healthy children of influenza vaccine „Fluvax Junior“ from.

For example, German mistrust of flu vaccines is not entirely unfounded, and it remains doubtful whether patients will be more likely to follow the advice on the annual protective vaccine in the future. Since the inoculants in addition to the active ingredients for the most part contain preservatives based on formaldehyde and mercury compounds, there are also in natural medicine significant reservations against comprehensive flu shots. Here it is also pointed out that the influenza viruses are partly cultivated in egg white and therefore people with allergies should be careful. (Fp)

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