Number of influenza vaccines decreases early in Welsh influenza season

In Wales, the number of influenza vaccines is declining as health experts warn that influenza is starting to circulate.

Nearly 1,000 people have been affected by the flu this flu season so far.

But the percentage of people eligible to accept the offer of a free vaccine is down compared to last winter.

This comes as a report revealed that fear of the side effects of a vaccine, fueled by the myths conveyed on social media, is the main reason given by people who refuse them.

So far this winter, 66.9% of people aged 65 and over have been vaccinated against influenza, which can lead to potentially serious complications, including pneumonia in at-risk groups.

At the same time last year, this number was 67.9% and reached 68.8% (451,346 people) at the end of the 2017-18 influenza season, according to figures released by Public Health Wales (PHW).

Just over 46% of children aged two and three received the vaccine this winter, usually given in this age group as a painless nasal spray. Last year this figure was 48.7% and reached 50.2% at the end of the winter.

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Some young children may suffer from complications related to the flu. including pneumonia, and they can end up in the hospital.

Two-year-old Kalsoom Khairuddin was taken to Swansea's Morriston Hospital by her parents, who had trouble breathing.

"It all went well until the winter came and she coughed and we were so alarmed when she had trouble breathing." said his mother Khaireen Khairuddin.

"We called an ambulance and waited 10 minutes, but then we decided to send her back to Morriston Hospital."

The doctors told Ms. Khairuddin that her daughter's small respiratory tubes had swollen, which limited her breathing. They gave him steroids to reduce the inflammation.

"She could have stopped breathing," she says.

"It was a really scary episode, so when the surgery called us to tell her to vaccinate her, I brought her because I do not want her to have another episode.

"I do not take any chances … You would not want to go through what I've lived, no parent would want that."

At the same time, 69.9% of children aged 4 to 10 years were vaccinated in 1,295 primary schools, compared to 68% of children aged 4 to 8 last year (the free vaccine is now available for a group). older age), with nearly 42% of those under 65 in a clinical risk group – again down from last year.

Last winter, more than 820,000 people were vaccinated, 25% of the population of Wales.

This year, Wales already had a "medium" flu, with 966 confirmed cases this winter.

Dr. Jo McCarthy, a consultant in public health microbiology at Hywel Dda, said she was one of the 100,000 people already vaccinated by the board of health.

"I am aware of the evidence that vaccination is effective and is the only effective way to prevent the spread of the influenza virus.

"Not only does my immunization protect me, it also protects my family, friends, neighbors and patients."

Public Health Wales (PHW) is striving to debunk some common myths, including the fact that the vaccine can give people flu.

Rosi Jones, a health visitor who works in the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg area, said, "This will not give your child flu, but some children may have mild side effects, including a runny nose."

A spokesperson for PHW added, "If your child gets a cold soon after being vaccinated against the flu, it's usually just an unfortunate coincidence that was not caused by the vaccine itself. even.

"The big difference is that flu can kill – it kills people every year, including healthy and healthy people, but unfortunately many people use the terms" cold "and" flu "interchangeably and you might see a drug in your pharmacy for colds and flu – but that's wrong.

"Every year in Wales, children need treatment in intensive care units because of the flu."

Another popular myth on social media is that the vaccine is designed to protect only against the influenza virus of the previous year.

"The flu is unpredictable," said the spokesman. "Every year, experts from the World Health Organization work tirelessly to predict what will be the next strain of flu that will circulate here.

"Given that vaccines need to be made long in advance, it is true that experts can not know for sure what will be the next influenza strain in circulation, but they use the data and previous experience to predict it. "

In the United Kingdom, one in five parents chose not to vaccinate their child against influenza, expressing concerns about unwanted side effects.