fbpx An ECDC report on seasonal influenza vaccination | Science in the net
  1. An ECDC report on seasonal influenza vaccination
  2. Revisions
  3. An ECDC report on seasonal influenza vaccination

An ECDC report on seasonal influenza vaccination

di redazione
Pubblicato il 16/01/2014Read time: 2 mins
Infections

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) recently released a technical report in support of the Council Recommendation on seasonal influenza vaccination that the European Union (EU) Council adopted in December 2009. Aim of this Recommendation was to ask for concerted action to be taken, at a European level, to mitigate the impact of seasonal influenza by encouraging vaccination among risk groups and healthcare workers.

The ECDC provided technical assistance to Member States on monitoring the current situation with seasonal influenza and influenza immunization, and this report comes from the gathering of a great part of such data. Specifically, the document provides data on vaccination policies and strategies, vaccination coverage, and barriers to vaccination for seasonal influenza in the EU/EEA countries, drawn from two primary sources: the annual survey by the VENICE project and a Supplementary Questionnaire developed and implemented by ECDC to collect additional data especially relevant to the Council Recommendation. The report also cites the four European projects – TELLME being the first of the list – related to seasonal influenza vaccination and funded by the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation or by the Executive Agency for Health and Consumers.

The analysis of the data collected led ECDC experts to conclude that, since 2009, Member States have made limited progress in achieving the aims outlined in the Council Recommendation on seasonal influenza vaccination, despite the fact that almost all countries reported having in place national and regional vaccination policies or strategies for seasonal influenza. While few of them managed to get close to the given targets, they represent a minority and, since the deadline for the aims outlined in the Council Recommendation is the 2014-15 influenza season, it seems unlikely that more than a handful of them will manage to reach them. Such perception that little or no progress is being made was reinforced by the lack of data on vaccination coverage for relevant categories such as people with chronic conditions and healthcare workers. However, the report recognizes that a majority of them are instituting national programmes and have identified steps that could be taken to improve vaccination coverage rates in the short term and to strengthen the infrastructure to enable steady gains in coverage over the longer term.


Scienza in rete è un giornale senza pubblicità e aperto a tutti per garantire l’indipendenza dell’informazione e il diritto universale alla cittadinanza scientifica. Contribuisci a dar voce alla ricerca sostenendo Scienza in rete. In questo modo, potrai entrare a far parte della nostra comunità e condividere il nostro percorso. Clicca sul pulsante e scegli liberamente quanto donare! Anche una piccola somma è importante. Se vuoi fare una donazione ricorrente, ci consenti di programmare meglio il nostro lavoro e resti comunque libero di interromperla quando credi.


  • 10007 reads

prossimo articolo

Discovered a New Carbon-Carbon Chemical Bond

di Chiara D'Errico
Pubblicato il 16/10/2024

A group of researchers from Hokkaido University has provided the first experimental evidence of the existence of a new type of chemical bond: the single-electron covalent bond, theorized by Linus Pauling in 1931 but never verified until now. Using derivatives of hexaarylethane (HPE), the scientists were able to stabilize this unusual bond between two carbon atoms and study it with spectroscopic techniques and X-ray diffraction. This discovery opens new perspectives in understanding bond chemistry and could lead to the development of new materials with innovative applications.

In the cover image: study of the sigma bond with X-ray diffraction. Credits: Yusuke Ishigaki

Chemistry

After nearly a year of review, on September 25, a study was published in Nature that has sparked a lot of discussion, especially among chemists. A group of researchers from Hokkaido University synthesized a molecule that experimentally demonstrated the existence of a new type of chemical bond, something that does not happen very often.