Close to 80% of Portuguese people aged 65 or over were vaccinated against influenza during the 2023/24 flu season, above the 75% target proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to data released today.
«It is with satisfaction that vaccination coverage in the population aged 65 or over and in chronically ill patients exceeded the target set by the WHO, in line with what had already happened in previous years», highlighted the president of the Portuguese Association of General and Family Medicine, cited in a statement.
According to Nuno Jacinto, the results obtained continue to show the confidence of the Portuguese in vaccination.
In the fourth and final wave of the Vacinómetro report, which monitors flu vaccination during the 2023/24 flu season, it is indicated that, despite 77,7% of Portuguese people aged 65 or over having been vaccinated, the coverage rate drops to 64,3% in the population aged 60 or over.
«With the sub-analysis carried out, 47,5% were vaccinated on a doctor's recommendation and 30,7% on their own initiative, because they always try to be protected», he noted.
The data also reveals that coverage rates are above 76% among chronically ill patients, with 82,4% of patients with diabetes vaccinated and 76% of people with cardiovascular disease vaccinated.
«Vaccination numbers in certain groups, namely chronically ill patients, where the vaccination rate reached 76,6%, are very positive», highlighted the president of the Portuguese Society of Pulmonology, António Morais, quoted in the statement.
According to the person responsible, this is a recognition of the importance of vaccination.
“The fact that less than half of individuals between 60 and 64 years of age are vaccinated tells us that, in fact, this group needs to be made aware of the importance of vaccination,” he added.
Among healthcare professionals, the total number of people vaccinated is less than half, with a coverage rate of 45,9% among those who have direct contact with patients.
At regional level, of the “vaccinated population aged 65 or over, 82,1% are from the North region, 80,1% from the Lisbon metropolitan area, 77,6% from the Algarve, 76,3% from Alentejo, 70,6 .69,6% from the central region, 66,7% from the autonomous region of the Azores and XNUMX% from the autonomous region of Madeira».
The report shows that 41,1% of those vaccinated did so on medical recommendation, 26% on their own initiative, 18% on work initiative, 7,6% because they were part of risk groups and 6% because they had been notified of an appointment by the Service. National Health.
According to information known today, there are still 15,5% of pregnant women, 5,8% of people aged 65 or over and 5,7% of chronically ill people who intend to be vaccinated during this flu season.
Regarding the co-administration of flu and covid-19 vaccines, it is reported that 81,4% of vaccinated people belonging to the recommended groups opted for joint administration.
Among those who chose co-administration, 87,3% did so because they felt safer, 7,4% because they were part of risk groups and 4,9% due to medical recommendation.
The Vacinometer is an initiative of the Portuguese Society of Pulmonology (SPP) and the Portuguese Association of General and Family Medicine (APMGF), which since 2009 has been dedicated to monitoring in real time the flu vaccination rate in priority groups.
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