Far behind

Flu vaccination rate in Austria has actually fallen

The consequences of real flu are still often underestimated - compared to a flu-like infection, it is by no means harmless.

(Bild: APA/dpa/dpaweb)

Is Austria a country of vaccination sceptics? Following the low rate of coronavirus booster vaccinations and the resurgence of measles in the country, Austria is also lagging far behind in terms of flu vaccinations, even by international standards. The vaccination rate against influenza is not only at a very low level, it has even fallen slightly compared to the previous season.

This was stated by the Austrian Association of Vaccine Manufacturers (ÖVIH) in a press release on Tuesday. The recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) are therefore far from being met. The ÖVIH calculated a vaccination coverage rate of just 13.35 percent for Austria this season.

Only a few countries so far below the recommendation
The association used the doses distributed by manufacturers and applied them to the total population according to Statistics Austria. For comparison: in the 2022/23 season, it was 13.62%. By contrast, the WHO and the EU Council recommend a vaccination coverage rate of 75 percent for vulnerable groups such as people over 65. Even though this is only achieved by Denmark, few countries are as far below this as Austria, according to the ÖVIH.

Germany, for example, has achieved a vaccination coverage rate of over 40% in this group in recent years.

Victims only included in the statistics after the fact
The current influenza season has passed its peak, as the latest figures from the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) show. How many victims it has claimed is only visible in retrospect. There were more than 4,000 deaths in the 2022/23 season. The influenza vaccination is expressly recommended in the Austrian vaccination plan for vulnerable groups, as well as for everyone else who wants to protect themselves.

For the 2023/24 season, a public vaccination program for all population groups was launched for the first time, in which the vaccination was offered to all interested parties for a prescription fee, accompanied by a media vaccination campaign. "Unfortunately, this has not changed the overall vaccination rate," said ÖVIH President Renée Gallo-Daniel.

Medical Association: Vaccination campaign "did not function satisfactorily"
 Criticism also came from the Medical Association: "In the current influenza season, the nationwide vaccination campaign did not function satisfactorily in terms of organization and logistics," stated Naghme Kamaleyan-Schmied, Vice President and Chairwoman of the Curia of Registered Physicians of the Vienna Medical Association. "Vaccines were sometimes not available or could not be ordered by doctors. In addition, the free influenza vaccination, for which a co-payment is due, turned out to be a stumbling block."

On December 1, around 180 surgeries in Vienna were without a vaccine. "For the coming season, we urgently need to ensure that a vaccination campaign is available again that is simple and genuinely free of charge, as well as sufficient and well-distributed influenza vaccines to meet demand," Kamaleyan-Schmied demanded.