Viatris’ Influvac® Tetra will be available in Spain during the 2023-2024 influenza vaccination season

As flu season approaches, it is critical that everyone plans how to protect themselves and their families as effectively as possible. According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), annual influenza vaccination is the most effective way to prevent seasonal influenza; however, vaccination coverage in Europe remains low compared to the 75% target set by the World Health Organization lower.

In preparation for the 2023-2024 season, recommendations for target groups for the vaccination campaign have been significantly revised. Now, healthy children aged 6 months to 5 years are prioritized for vaccination. Similarly, the age range for vaccination of the elderly also starts from 60 years old, revising the previous reference value of 65 years old. The care needs of people who smoke are also highlighted. These adjustments are designed to meet current needs and maximize protection against seasonal influenza.

In order to contribute to the protection of public health, the pharmaceutical company Viatris announces the shipment of the quadrivalent influenza vaccine Influvac® Tetra to Spain for the 2023-2024 season. The action is part of its commitment to ensure vaccines are available as early as possible, even before the flu season begins.

Viatris’ Commitment to Flu Vaccination

Up to 50 million people in Europe are infected with seasonal influenza viruses each year. In addition, mortality rates are more pronounced among high-risk groups, including the elderly, pregnant women, health care workers, children, and adults with chronic diseases. Taking Spain as an example, during the 2019-2020 campaign, 619,000 people attended primary care consultations for influenza, of whom 27,700 were hospitalized, 1,800 were admitted to ICU, and a total of 3,900 people died.

As Anenvac President José Antonio Forcada said, “Due to the epidemic and the vaccination rollout, vaccination rates among high-risk groups increased in the 20-21 season. Before Covid, our coverage for people over 65 years old started from 55%, Reached 75%. The number of health workers and pregnant women also increased significantly. Subsequently, these rates have remained the same, but decreased slightly in the 21-22 and 22-23 seasons.” For this reason, the expert recalls, ” We must focus on making people aware of the true importance of the flu and debunking the myth that the flu is not a serious illness. We must remember that it kills 3,500 to 4,000 people nationwide, depending on the season Died from the flu,” he added.

According to the World Health Organization, vaccination can reduce influenza-related morbidity by 60% and mortality by up to 80%. For people aged 64 and older, 26% of hospitalizations, 40% of ICU admissions and 37% of deaths were averted due to vaccination during the 2019-2020 campaign.

João Madeira, general manager of Viatris Spain, noted, “It is important to be prepared for the next influenza season. At Viatris, we are firmly committed to working closely with institutions to supply the market to guarantee access to our of influenza vaccine.

“Influenza vaccination is a priority for the company, as we are committed to doing our best as a reliable partner in the field of influenza immunization,” added the head of Viatris Spain. “We recognize the importance of raising awareness of the risks of influenza and the need to increase vaccination rates to extend the protection offered by the vaccine not just to the most vulnerable, but to everyone aged six months and older,” he The conclusion is.

Viatris promotes vaccination of patients with non-communicable diseases

If influenza vaccination has become a global priority, this is even more true for people with non-communicable diseases (NCDs). To raise awareness of the benefits of influenza vaccination in this population, Viatris conducted a study investigating motivations and difficulties in receiving influenza vaccination among vaccinated and unvaccinated non-communicable disease patients in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland , Belgium, Portugal and the Czech Republic.

Although overall attitudes towards vaccines are positive, with three-quarters of respondents having a favorable view, the data shows that exposure to vaccination information is still quite lacking. Most unvaccinated patients have not yet been exposed to relevant information about vaccines, so awareness remains a significant challenge. Faced with this situation, Viatris intends to increase its efforts to promote the importance of vaccination.

41% of respondents in Spain have a positive attitude towards influenza vaccination, a figure that rises to nearly 90% among people with non-communicable diseases who say they have received a flu vaccine in the past two years. However, 19% of those surveyed who admitted they had never had a flu shot expressed neither a positive nor a negative opinion on the issue.

According to vaccinated people with NCDs, the three main reasons for deciding to be vaccinated are the advice of their GP (61% globally, 25% in Spain), followed by their own initiative (31% globally, 31% in Spain) %). % % also in Spain) and protect themselves against influenza due to their underlying health conditions (18% globally, 4% in Spain). Among other important factors mentioned, 25% of Spaniards surveyed included the obligation to be vaccinated when traveling.