Double vaccination for this winter against flu and pneumonia

The flu campaign will start from 6^th of November.

Postcard invitation for those who were born in 1952

Postcards delivered to houses of the people who were born in 1952. They are “the new patients who are entitled to have the flu vaccine.” The individual system allowed, last year, to raise the number of vaccinated people of this age which has increased from 11% to 20%.

The innovation: the anti-pneumococcal vaccine

The innovation of this year, which heralds a virus that should have the same virulence and complexity compared to last year, is the combination with the anti-pneumococcal vaccine: the bacterium causes pneumonia, meningitis, sepsis, bacteraemia and ear infections. So, those who turn up, will get the double vaccination: next year they will receive the anti-pneumococcal booster which will guarantee the definitive coverage.

The progress of last year

Last year, the flu revealed itself to be of medium severity even if the consequences in terms of serious cases and death were higher. In particular, during the 2016/2017 season, in Italy, 162 serious cases were reported compared to the 89 ones of the last season and 68 deaths because of the confirmed flu in relation to the 32 of 2016-17 winter period. The 82% of serious cases and the 92% of deaths, which were reported, presented at least a pre-existing chronic illness for which the flu vaccine is recommended and only the 25% had the vaccination. In Italy, the epidemic peak was reached during the last week of 2016, earlier than about four weeks than previous seasons, with a level of incidence of 9.5 cases per 1,000 patients. The epidemic period (with an incidence higher than 2.44 cases per 1,000 patients) lasted 12 weeks. The incidence, at national level, showed a decrease with increasing age, and reached the lowest value in the elderly (51 cases among those who were 65 years old or older against 87 cases per 1,000 patients among people between the ages of 16 and 64.)

Targets

The overall target for 2017 is to vaccinate more and more people than the previous year: last year, nearly 165,000 persons at risk had the vaccination (of which at least 98,000 in the province of Varese and the others in the one of Como). For this year the aim is to increase the number of vaccinated people, so 190,000 of vaccine doses have been bought. The omen is to expand the coverage both among the elderly and the youth, but at risk because of chronic illness or their working place.

Vaccines

The vaccines available for the 2016-17 campaign have the same composition, defined by WHO based on the monitoring data on circulating strains : antigens of virus A and antigens of virus B. For all the people, it is expected a single intramuscular medication; only for children under the age of 9, who have never received a previous vaccine, are expected two doses with an interval of about four weeks.

 Where to get vaccinated

The vaccination campaign will begin on Monday, November 6^th 2017 and it will take place in collaboration with the vaccination clinics of ASST Lariana, Sette Laghi, and Valle Olona and in synergy with Pediatricians and Doctors of General Medicine. These last ones will give vaccinations to people belonging to categories in danger at their clinics. ATS has also started, for the campaign, collaborations with some accredited private health facilities  (hospitals and health centres) , with the helpful senior health care residences and residential facilities for the disabled.