The main reason for getting vaccinated is to protect yourself from the virus
According to the Spanish Influenza Vaccination Observatory 2023, only 44% of the Spanish population intends to be vaccinated during the current anti-influenza campaign, which is lower than predicted for 2022 (49%).
The willingness of people over 60 to get vaccinated has also declined, from 80% in the last campaign to 74%. This will make it difficult to meet public health recommended vaccination rates. The data comes from the third edition of the Flu Vaccine Perception Study conducted by social research consultancy GAD3 with support from CSL Seqirus.
Javier Castrodeza, Head of the Preventive Medicine Service at the University Clinic Hospital of Valladolid and Professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the University of Valladolid, stressed the need to reflect on how to once again increase awareness of the importance of influenza vaccination Awareness to avoid the importance of influenza vaccination. Vaccination numbers continue to decline. It should be emphasized that influenza is a public health issue.
Positive views on vaccines decline
The 2,206-person study shows that positive social perceptions of vaccines as a tool for protection and prevention against infectious respiratory diseases initially contributed to the development of vaccine culture following the normalization of health conditions following the Covid-19 pandemic 2022-2023 During the annual campaign, disease again decreased.
Last year, 23.9% of respondents said Covid-19 had made them aware of the importance of vaccination, but this year this number plummeted to 5.9%.
In the current campaign, the main reason for vaccination remains the desire to protect oneself from the virus (57.3%). However, this percentage is also lower than in previous campaigns. Another 49.2% believed it was necessary to receive a flu vaccine every year.
Only 40% of Spaniards see simultaneous flu and Covid-19 vaccinations as progress, with older respondents supporting the measure.
Reasons not to vaccinate
Research results show that lack of prescriptions by medical staff has become the main reason for not getting vaccinated, increasing significantly from 51.4% to 66.3%. The proportion of respondents who minimize the disease (39.1%) and believe it is not a serious virus is also increasing.
Additionally, 81.2% of Spaniards said they did not have enough information to consider vaccination necessary. Prescription by a medical, healthcare or pharmaceutical practitioner remains the most influential factor in the decision to receive a vaccine. This year, the number of respondents claiming to obtain information this way fell from 39.5% to 19.2%.
On the other hand, there is an increase in Spaniards who know about influenza vaccination campaigns through the media (39.4%) and the public administration or the national health system (24%).
The importance of identifying risk groups
Proper identification of risk groups is critical to the success of influenza vaccination campaigns. While 73% believe people over 60 are a target group, awareness has declined for other risk groups, such as people with respiratory illnesses (28.4%) and patients with chronic diseases or immunosuppression (20% ).
The lowest levels of approval were particularly prominent for pregnant women and those living with high-risk patients (6.3% and 0.9%, respectively). The most vulnerable group are those over 60 with pre-existing medical conditions, with 68% of the population in favor of purchasing a specific vaccine for them, regardless of price.
Pepe MartÃnez Olmos, professor at the Andalusian School of Public Health (EASP), stressed the importance of assessing the cost-effectiveness of using vaccines with enhanced immunogenicity. The conclusion is that influenza complications have a great impact on the economy every year, especially on the health of people over the age of 60.