Vaccination against influenza remains the surest way to avoid serious forms in people aged 65 and over. As a reminder, last winter, the vaccination coverage rate in this population reached 56% in 2021 (versus 59.9% in 2020), a figure that is therefore down! This, despite the communication campaigns…
Even if this rate is higher than that of 2019 which was 52%, this vaccination coverage (slightly more than half) is still insufficient with regard to the recommendations of the World Health Organization which sets a target of 75%. We are still far from the recommended three-quarters…
If people aged 65 and over are convinced of the benefits of receiving the vaccine every year (85% in 2022 against 78% in 2021), they are however 34% in 2022 who mistakenly think that the flu is only dangerous for people very old, compared to 26% the previous year.
Another misconception that is gaining traction is that the flu vaccine could itself give rise to this viral infection. Half of those aged 65 and over think so today, compared to just 42% in 2021.
It should be pointed out that the flu vaccine is made from inactivated viruses with the aim of stimulating the body’s immune response, which can sometimes lead to a few brief symptoms caused by the production of antibodies against the disease, but in this case, it’s not the flu!
In addition, you have to wait two weeks to be protected by the vaccine, which does not exclude catching the virus during this period of time. This is why it is essential to be vaccinated at the start of the vaccination campaign, without waiting for the first cases of influenza to appear.
« Regarding the safety and harmlessness of influenza vaccines, all data show that it is well tolerated by the body ” again assures Health Insurance in this recent press release.
This year, 12 million people aged 65 and over are invited to be vaccinated during the vaccination campaign. The vaccine is primarily intended for them during the first 4 weeks of the campaign (they can of course still be vaccinated after this period).
Their vaccine is covered at 100% on presentation of the voucher sent by the Health Insurance or given by a health professional.