Flu vaccine also protects against swine flu

Current flu vaccine also protects against swine flu
In 2009, all of Germany screamed in panic for a vaccine against swine flu. When the vaccine became available, many people did not take a vaccine because of the feared side effects. This year, the swine flu seems from the outset hardly anyone interested. The fact that the vaccine against the H1N1 virus is now also included in the regular flu vaccine, has so far neither an increase nor a decrease in the vaccination rate result.

Swine flu will occur again this year
Although the World Health Organization warns that swine flu may re-emerge this winter and the risk of a pandemic persists, it does more to amaze the patient than worry. An appropriate vaccination usually only consider people who are vaccinated against influenza generally. At the very least, however, there has been no decline in vaccination since last year's excitement. As the general practitioner Dr. Heinz Ullrich from the medical center Aichach that „The excitement of last year has subsided and people still come to the flu shot.“ Dr. Rudolf Hartl, a practicing physician in Kühbach, even sees a growing acceptance of flu shots. However, vaccination rates of 50 to 60 percent, which are the norm in Scandinavian countries and, in the opinion of Reinhard Burger, president of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), would be desirable for Germany in the long term, despite all the efforts of the health authorities for the time being to reach.

First vaccination recommendation for pregnant women
In addition to the previous risk groups, people over the age of 65, the chronically ill, premature babies, as well as the elderly and nursing home residents, the vaccination recommendations of the health authorities were extended to pregnant women from the fourth month for the first time this year. For them, the disease after infection with the H1N1 virus was usually much heavier, according to the statement of the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA) and the RKI. Dr. Karl Fürst, specialist in gynecology in Aichbach does not consider a general vaccination in pregnant women necessary, but recommends a flu shot only after individual consultation and appropriate assessment by the specialist. Dr. According to Fürst, pregnant women do not get flu more often than other populations. Rather, they are „Pregnant women are (...) stable because they are more careful with themselves, generally younger and in good health“, explained the expert.

Medical staff should take precautions
Due to the regular contact with persons of the risk groups, the health authorities believe that doctors and medical staff should in any case be vaccinated against the flu. The current vaccination rate of about 20 percent is far too low, said Birte Kirschbaum of the BZgA. In order to avoid the contagion of the caregivers, the medical staff should generally undergo a corresponding vaccination, according to the unanimous opinion of the experts. Also, for family members who are constantly in contact with the persons of the risk groups, the authorities recommend a flu shot. The best time for a vaccination is between October and November, because in the autumn months, the risk of disease increases due to weather conditions, but the body needs about 14 days to build up after the vaccine appropriate flu protection. In addition to the H1N1 virus, it protects against the two most common influenza virus strains. In contact with one of the corresponding viral strains, the vaccine reduces the risk of infection in healthy people by up to 90 percent, in already weakened individuals by 30 to 40 percent, the experts said. In addition, reduced by a vaccine and mortality in the elderly.

Do not underestimate flu risks
In general, the health risk of an influenza disease should not be underestimated. Every year, millions of people in Germany become ill with influenza, which can be a serious health threat for many people, such as people with weakened immune systems, chronic lung diseases, cardiovascular diseases or diabetes. For example, estimates of the Working Group on Influenza at the Robert Koch Institute assume that around 2.9 million additional visits to doctors and 5,300 influenza-related hospital admissions were necessary during the previous influenza season 2009/2010. In addition, flu patients had to be written about 1.5 million times incapacitated. Therefore, the health authorities are making an effort to educate the population through comprehensive education campaigns with posters, flyers, posters, leaflets and advertisements „need“ to draw attention to a flu vaccine. In addition, the national flu vaccine day will take place on the 5th of November. With their measures, the authorities hope to achieve a significant increase in vaccination rates.

Rejection of flu vaccinations not without reason
Many Germans refused to vaccinate against the H1N1 virus for a good reason last year, but health authorities seem to be forgetting their call for higher vaccine quotas. Not the general refusal of a vaccination, but the concern about possible side effects prevented many from seeing the doctor. Since the concerns are primarily directed against the swine flu vaccine and this is included in the current flu vaccine, the acceptance of influenza vaccine in the population is likely to remain rather modest in the future. The fact that the effect enhancers were mainly responsible for the side effects and not the vaccine itself is difficult to convey to the population in this context.

Flu vaccination with side effects
For this year's flu season, the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI), which is responsible for approving the vaccines, has issued more than 20 million vaccine doses. The vaccine to be used is recommenced annually by the WHO. The combination of the influenza strains A and B with the H1N1 virus in the current vaccine has been considered relatively unproblematic. The current traditional split vaccine can do without the controversial enhancers used in the swine flu vaccine. However, in the course of the current ending flu season in the southern hemisphere, for example, in vaccinations in Australia has shown that even the current vaccine can bring significant side effects. Some 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 begun to discourage healthy children from influenza vaccine. (fp, 19.10.2010)

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