More than 370,000 Portuguese people vaccinated against influenza

This autumn, more than 370,000 Portuguese people aged 60 or older were vaccinated during the initial phase of the 2023/2024 flu season, which started on September 29, according to the second of a series of studies published.

The data includes the first vague report called “Vacinómetro”, which began in 2009 and was obtained through a questionnaire.

This is an initiative launched by the Portuguese Pneumology Society (SPP) and the Portuguese Association of General and Family Medicine (APMGF), with support from Sanofi, to monitor in real time vaccination coverage among priority groups recommended by the Directorate-General of Health (DGS). influenza.

According to a national analysis of the first phase of the vaccination campaign, 13.1% of people aged 65 and over have been vaccinated, surpassing 16.9% of people aged 80 and over.

Of those who responded to questions conducted between October 10 and 16, 11.9% of vaccine recipients belonged to the chronic disease patient group, favoring subgroup analysis, which noted that of this group, 10.7% were diabetic and 14.2% were diabetics. Have cardiovascular disease.

Among the study subjects, 61.6% were men and 38.4% were women.

In the age group 60 to 64 years, 7.5% have been vaccinated (49.0% of them actively vaccinated).

Secondly, among 6.5% of the vaccinated population, medical staff had direct contact with the instructors, and the vaccination coverage rate of pregnant women reached 43.0%, of which 66.8% were recommended by doctors.

The work concerns the population over 65 years old, with 33.3% in the Alentejo region, 15% in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, 13.8% in the Central Region, 13.0% in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, 8% in the Azores and 7 %.

“Among all vaccinated people in the total sample studied, the main reasons that led them to take the vaccine were: 47.1% it was a doctor’s recommendation, 26.3% they took it proactively because they were trying to always be protected, 13%, 8% This was true without a background in labor advocacy, 8.6% because they knew they were in a risk group for a certain pathology and 1.6% because of advice from a pharmacist,” he added.

The analysis also showed that in this first vaccination, 5.8% of people in the age group 65 and above were vaccinated. This is not the first time this year, while 69.2% of people in this age group have not been vaccinated. fazê-lo.

Among vaccinated patients with chronic diseases, 7.5% of vaccinated people are vaccinated for the first time this year, while 71.2% of unvaccinated people belonging to this group intend to be vaccinated during this year’s flu season.

With no more than two health professionals, 11.1% were vaccinated for the first time in 2023.

On the other hand, among those over 80 years old, 7.4% were vaccinated for the first time, and 91.7% of respondents in this group did not plan to get vaccinated this flu season.

Relative to the combined flu and covid-19 vaccine, 84.6% of individuals and groups advised to do so.

Based on this decision, the second or second time, 81.1% responded: “I want to be protected/I think both are important for my health”; 11.2% reported that the doctor recommended a combination of medications, 6.3% People fall into two risk groups.

According to DGS standards, influenza vaccination is strongly recommended for priority groups aged 60 years or older; patients with chronic diseases and immunocompromised patients aged six months or older; patients with certain chronic diseases or conditions (e.g. diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) , cardiovascular disease, etc.), health professionals and other caregivers and physicians.