information, impacts and well being insurance policies | EUROtoday

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The surge in the course of the pandemic, then a sluggish decline: the truth is, the proportion of individuals aged 65 or over who, in EU international locations, have been vaccinated in opposition to the flu is reducing. According to Eurostat information, the variety of folks vaccinated went from 48.4% in 2022 to 47.1% in 2023.

Data that signifies a fluctuating pattern. Among EU international locations, Denmark had the very best vaccination charge for folks aged 65 and over at 77.5%. Next is Ireland the place the proportion of individuals vaccinated was 75.7%. Portugal is barely decrease with a share of vaccinated folks of 71.8%. Italy occupies a place midway between Finland and France with over 65%. In this state of affairs, nonetheless, there are additionally those that, for varied causes, have determined to not resort to vaccines. The lowest determine is recorded in Poland with a share that doesn’t even attain 10% however stops at 9.6%. Going up, however with nonetheless low charges, there may be Slovakia with 11.7% and Bulgaria with 15.2%

«Bulgaria recorded the most important enhance in vaccination charges of individuals aged 65 and over, equal to +46.2% in comparison with 2022, forward of Lithuania the place the expansion was +12.1% and Poland the place the expansion was +11.6% – underlines the Eurostat report -. At the opposite finish of the size, Cyprus recorded -30.1%, Sweden -10.0% and Estonia -9.5%. All international locations which have recorded the best declines.”

The highest rate was recorded at the beginning of this time series, 52.4% in 2009. In contrast, the lowest rate of 39.9% was observed in 2015. More recently there was an increase in flu vaccination rates to 50.7% in 2021, before a slight decline to 48.4% in 2022.

In EU international locations, varied insurance policies exist to make flu vaccines out there to most people. “They are often aimed at older age groups or other people who have a higher risk of poor health outcomes if they catch the flu (such as immunocompromised people),” Eurostat factors out. No much less vital are the hazards linked to the flu. In 2022 there have been 7,589 deaths of EU residents from influenza, equal to 1.52 deaths per 100 thousand inhabitants. Among these, 6 886 deaths occurred in folks aged 65 and over, equal to 7.01 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants of the identical age. Among EU international locations, the very best standardized flu demise charge in 2022 was reported in Austria, with 3.73 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. The Netherlands (with 3.56 flu deaths per 100,000 inhabitants) and Belgium (with 3.07 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants) have been the one different EU international locations to report standardized mortality charges above 3.00.