Around 80% of Portuguese people aged 65 and over have been vaccinated against flu in the 2023/24 flu season, higher than the 75% target proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to data published on Tuesday.
“We are pleased to note that the vaccination coverage of the population aged 65 years and over, as well as patients with chronic diseases, has exceeded the target set by WHO, in line with what has already happened in previous years,” emphasized the President of the Portuguese Association of General Doctors and medical care. Family medicine,” the message says.
According to Nuno Jacinto, the results continue to demonstrate the confidence of the Portuguese in vaccination.
The fourth and final wave of the Vacinómetro report, which tracks influenza vaccination in the 2023/24 flu season, indicates that although 77.7% of Portuguese aged 65 years and over have been vaccinated, coverage levels fall to 64.3% of the population is aged 60 years and older.
“Taking into account the sub-analysis, 47.5% were vaccinated on the recommendation of a doctor, and 30.7% on their own initiative, because they always try to protect themselves,” he noted.
The data also shows coverage rates among chronically ill patients exceed 76%, with 82.4% of people with diabetes and 76% of people with heart disease vaccinated.
“The rate of vaccinations in certain groups, namely chronically ill patients, where the vaccination rate reached 76.6%, is very positive,” stressed the president of the Portuguese Society of Pulmonology, António Morais, as quoted in the statement.
According to the person in charge, this is recognition of the importance of vaccination.
“The fact that less than half of people aged 60 to 64 have been vaccinated tells us that this is actually a group that needs to be made aware of the importance of vaccination,” he added.
Among health care workers, the total number of people vaccinated is less than half, while the coverage rate among those who have direct contact with patients is 45.9%.
At the regional level, of the “vaccinated population aged 65 years and over, 82.1% live in the Northern Region, 80.1% in the Lisbon Metropolitan Region, 77.6% in the Algarve, 76.3% in the Alentejo, 70. 6% – in the central region. , 69.6% from the Autonomous Region of the Azores and 66.7% from the Autonomous Region of Madeira.”
The report shows that 41.1% of those vaccinated did so on the recommendation of a doctor, 26% on their own initiative, 18% on professional initiative, 7.6% because they were in a risk group and 6% because they were notified appointment with a doctor. Service.Health of the nation.
An additional 15.5% of pregnant women, 5.8% of people 65 and older and 5.7% of chronically ill people intend to get vaccinated this flu season, according to information available Tuesday.
Regarding the simultaneous administration of influenza and Covid-19 vaccines, 81.4% of vaccine recipients belonging to the recommended groups were reported to have chosen coadministration.
Among those who chose co-use, 87.3% did so because they felt safer, 7.4% because they were at risk, and 4.9% because of medical advice.
The Vacinometer is an initiative of the Portuguese Society of Pulmonology (SPP) and the Portuguese Association of General and Family Medicine (APMGF), which has been monitoring in real time the level of influenza vaccination in priority groups since 2009.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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