Influenza vaccination in Turkey: Prevalence of risk groups, current vaccination status, factors influencing vaccine uptake and steps taken to increase vaccination rate

• Published in: Vaccine 2013-01, Vol.31 (3), p.518-523
• Main Author: Ciblak, Meral Akcay
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Allergy and Immunology; Applied microbiology; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child, Preschool; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; disease outbreaks; elderly; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; health care workers; Human viral diseases; Humans; Immunization; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infectious diseases; Influenza; Influenza Vaccines - administration & dosage; Influenza, Human - prevention & control; Male; Medical sciences; Metabolic disorders; Microbiology; Middle Aged; morbidity; mortality; patients; public sector; risk; Risk groups; sales; stakeholders; Studies; surveys; Turkey; Vaccination; Vaccination - statistics & numerical data; Vaccination - utilization; Vaccines; Vaccines, antisera, therapeutical immunoglobulins and monoclonal antibodies (general aspects); Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the respiratory system and ent viral diseases; World Health Organization; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0264-410X; 1873-2518
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2012.11.022

Highlights ► This study shows that there are about 27–33 million people in risk groups in Turkey. ► Vaccines are provided to the HCWs free of charge and vaccination charges are reimbursed for the risk groups. ► The vaccination coverage rate is low in all risk groups especially in the elderly. ► Major absticle before the vaccination was disbelief in the vaccine effectiveness. ► A stakeholder network, Grip Paltformu, including MoH was established to combat flu effectively.