Influenza vaccination in 22 developed countries: an update to 1995

doi:10.1016/S0264-410X(97)00091-1

Vaccine

Volume 15, Issue 14, October 1997, Pages 1506-1511

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https://doi.org/10.1016/S0264-410X(97)00091-1 Get rights and content

Abstract

This study expands and updates through 1995 our earlier report on influenza vaccine use in 18 developed countries. Five of the six countries with high levels of vaccine use in 1992 (≥130 doses/1000 population) showed little change or slight declines over the subsequent 3 years. The exception was the United States, where a new federal program for vaccination reimbursement for the elderly helped to increase vaccine distribution from 144 to 239 doses/1000 population. The six countries with medium levels of vaccine use in 1992 (76–96 doses/1000 population) increased to ≥100 doses/1000 population by 1995. Among the six low-use countries in 1992 (≤65 doses/1000 population), only Finland showed substantial improvement (96 doses/1000 population) in 1995. Four new countries were added to the study. In Germany, vaccine use increased to 80 doses/1000 population in 1995, but in Ireland it remained at a low level (48 doses/1000 population). In Korea, vaccine use increased from 17 to 95 doses/1000 population during the period 1987–1995. In Japan, very high levels of vaccine use (≈280 doses/1000 population) in the early 1980s were associated with vaccination programs for school children. However, vaccine use fell precipitously when these programs were discontinued, and only 2 and 8 doses/1000 population were used in 1994 and 1995, respectively. In all 22 countries, higher levels of vaccine use were associated with vaccination reimbursement programs under national or social health insurance and were not correlated with different levels of economic development. Excluding Japan, in 1995 there was still a greater than fourfold difference between the highest and lowest levels of vaccine use among the other 21 countries in the study. Given its well established clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, none of these countries has yet achieved the full benefits of its programs for influenza vaccination.

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The seasonal influenza vaccine is one kind of category 2 vaccines, with coverage far below the 2003 WHA targets of at least 75% of the elderly by 2010 [12]. Eliminating or reducing out-of-pocket expenses for vaccination is an important enabling factor for influenza vaccine uptake [13,14,49–52]. To support Chinese government decision makers considering sustainable implementation of a national free influenza vaccination program, we evaluated the current landscape of influenza vaccination across China, and estimated the budget needed for such a program.
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Influenza vaccination in Austria from 1982 to 2011: A country resistant to influenza prevention and control
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Austria's position on influenza vaccination is unique. Generally it is recommended for everyone, and specifically for those over the age of 50 years and all children between 6 months and 5 years. However, the vaccination rate among the general public is one of the lowest in the world (<10%). Our objective was to provide baseline information to allow a better understanding of the low vaccination rate.
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Citation Excerpt :
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Influenza surveillance was implemented in Kolkata, eastern India in 2005 to identify the circulating subtypes and characterize their genetic diversity. Throat and nasal swabs were collected from outpatients with influenza-like illness (ILI). Of 2844 ILI cases identified at two referral hospitals during October 2005–September 2009, 309 (10.86%) were positive for Influenza A by real time RT-PCR, of which 110 (35.60%) were subtyped as H1N1 and 199 (64.40%) as H3N2. Comparison of the nucleotide (nt) and amino acid (aa) sequences of the HA1 gene for H1N1 and H3N2 strains showed that a subset of strains precede WHO recommended contemporary strains by 1–2 years. The Kolkata H1N1 strains clustered in Clade II, subgroup 2B with A/Brisbane/59/2007 but were distant from the corresponding vaccine strains (New Caledonia/20/99 and A/Solomon Island/3/06). The 2005–06 and 2007 H3N2 strains (15/17) clustered either A/Brisbane/10/2007-like (n = 8) or A/Nepal/921/2006 like (n = 7) strains, whereas 2008 strains (8/12) and 2009 strains (4/4) were similar to the 2010–11 vaccine strain A/Perth/16/2009. More aa substitutions were found in HA or NA genes of H3N2 than in H1N1 strains. No mutation conferring neuraminidase resistance was observed in any of the strain during 2005–08, however in 2009, drug resistant marker (H275Y) was present in seasonal H1N1, but not in co-circulating H3N2 strains. This is the first report of genetic characterization of circulating Influenza A strains from India. The results also highlight the importance of continuing Influenza surveillance in developing countries of Asia for monitoring unusual strains with pandemic potential and mutations conferring antiviral resistance.
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PaperInfluenza vaccination in 22 developed countries: an update to 1995

Abstract

Vaccine

Vaccine

Social Science and Medicine

Lancet

Japan lagging in influenza jabs

Nature

Influenza immunization polices in Europe and the United States

Pneumococcal and influenza vaccination levels among adults ≥65 years—United States, 1993

MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

Implementation of the Medicare influenza vaccination benefit

MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

The effectiveness of vaccination against influenza in healthy, working adults

New England Journal of Medicine

Paper
Influenza vaccination in 22 developed countries: an update to 1995