New vaccination plan

“We have infection rates like in the sixties”

New booster periods have recently been introduced for many of the classic vaccinations.

(Bild: APA/dpa/Stefan Puchner)

It used to be enough to overcome your inner bastard every ten years. Then you went to the doctor you trusted to refresh your vaccinations. But because infections are skyrocketing, the vaccination schedule has been changed.

Be honest: do you know whether your vaccinations are still up to date or whether you need a booster without looking at your vaccination record? But even if you do make sure that the ten years that we have collectively memorized are not yet over, you could be due for a visit to the doctor.

New recommendations from the Ministry
Shortly before Christmas, the Ministry of Health published the 2024/2025 vaccination plan. It contains the new recommendations. "Vaccinations are among the most important and effective preventive measures in medicine," the ministry emphasizes in the plan. "Efforts to reduce the risk of contracting pertussis, measles and influenza are currently necessary."

"The vaccination committee sets the plan once a year. Water monitoring has shown that the antibodies no longer last as long," explains Steve-Oliver Müller-Muttonen, Head of the Carinthian Institute of Occupational Medicine (AMI). "For the quadruple vaccination against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio, a booster is now recommended after five years."

The importance of vaccinations cannot be overestimated. They are one of the safest and most effective measures for combating infectious diseases and eradicating them in the long term.

Steve-Oliver Müller-Muttonen, Primarius AMI

Bild: zVg

Diseases that have died out are making a comeback
This is particularly true for occupational groups that come into contact with many people. "Whether in tourism, in teaching professions or in the police force, a refresher course is definitely recommended. We actively write to the companies we look after," emphasizes the Primarius. "But when you consider that diseases such as diphtheria or pertussis (whooping cough) are coming back, even though they were actually extinct, vaccination makes sense."

The diseases covered by the quadruple vaccination

• Tetanus: tetanus. Infection via open wounds, first flu-like symptoms, then muscle cramps. If untreated, death occurs through suffocation.
• Diphtheria: Infection via droplets, severe symptoms in the throat and nose. Can lead to heart and kidney damage in extreme cases.
• Pertussis: Also known as whooping cough or "100-day cough". Infection via droplets, first flu-like symptoms (1-2 weeks), then staccato-like coughing attacks (2-6 weeks), then weaker coughing attacks (3-6 weeks).
• Poliomyelitis: polio. Droplet or smear infection, no symptoms in around 72 percent of patients (Center for Disease Control). Fever, diarrhea, vomiting for three days in almost one fifth, meningitis in 5-10 percent. One percent of those infected develop "classic polio" with severe long-term consequences.

The situation with whooping cough is particularly striking - there were over 15,000 reported cases in Austria in 2024, compared to 370 in 2014. "We currently have infection figures like in the 1960s, and the numbers have increased sixfold since 2019," says Müller-Muttonen, expressing his shock. "The figures are really worrying." Diphtheria is also on the rise again. "This notifiable disease had practically died out until the first cases appeared again in 2022," says the occupational physician.

Vaccination protects the whole society
And what if you haven't had a vaccination for a long time? "If you have the basic immunization, a booster vaccination for these four diseases is sufficient. You can get them at many public offices or from your own GP," Müller-Muttonen reassures and appeals to Carinthians: "Vaccination offers protection for the whole of society. Herd immunity ensures that even those people who cannot be vaccinated are indirectly protected from infection."

He also has a special recommendation for young Carinthians: "This year, supported by the state of Carinthia, there is still the free HPV vaccination for everyone under the age of 30. This can prevent cervical cancer in women." Men should also get vaccinated, as they could transmit the virus.