Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
##common.pageHeaderLogo.altText##

Original article

Vol. 149 No. 0304 (2019)

Trends in influenza vaccination uptake in Switzerland: Swiss Health Survey 2007 and 2012

  • Kathrin Zürcher
  • Marcel Zwahlen
  • Claudia Berlin
  • Matthias Egger
  • Lukas Fenner
DOI
https://doi.org/10.4414/smw.2019.14705
Cite this as:
Swiss Med Wkly. 2019;149:w14705
Published
23.01.2019

Summary

AIMS

We studied time trends in seasonal influenza vaccination and assessed associations with socioeconomic and health-related determinants in Switzerland (overall and people aged ≥65 years).

METHODS

We used data from the Swiss Health Surveys of 2007 and 2012. We calculated the proportion of the population (overall and those ≥65 years old) reporting influenza vaccination in the last 12 months, and performed multivariate logistic regression analyses, presented as adjusted odds ratios (aORs).

RESULTS

The average overall frequency of people reporting having been vaccinated for influenza in the previous 12 months was 15.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 14.7–15.7); frequency decreased from 16.4% in 2007 to 14.1% in 2012 (p <0.001). In elderly people (≥65 years) the frequency declined from 47.8 to 38.5% (p <0.001). The decline was more pronounced in both the 15 to 19 age group (aOR 0.5, 95% CI 0.3–1.0) and those 65 to 75 years old (aOR 0.6, 95% CI 0.5–0.7), and in those with less education (aOR 0.6, 95% CI 0.4–0.7). Pregnant women had the lowest frequency for influenza vaccination (2.3%, 95% CI 0.6–7.9), but the frequency increased between 2007 and 2012 (aOR 4.5, 95% CI 1.0–20.5). Influenza vaccination in the last 12 months was positively associated with the ≥65 age group, living in French-speaking and urban areas, history of smoking, bad self-reported health status, health insurance for private/semiprivate hospital stays and working in healthcare professions.

CONCLUSIONS

Influenza vaccination coverage was low overall and declined over time. To increase influenza vaccine uptake and reach the European target of 75% in people aged ≥65 years, more efforts should be put into novel intervention approaches.

References

  1. Potter CW. A history of influenza. J Appl Microbiol. 2001;91(4):572–9. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2672.2001.01492.x
  2. Nicholson KG, Wood JM, Zambon M. Influenza. Lancet. 2003;362(9397):1733–45. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(03)14854-4
  3. Fauci AS, Touchette NA, Folkers GK. Emerging infectious diseases: a 10-year perspective from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Emerg Infect Dis. 2005;11(4):519–25. doi:.https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1104.041167
  4. Walaza S, Cohen C, Nanoo A, Cohen AL, McAnerney J, von Mollendorf C, et al. Excess mortality associated with influenza among tuberculosis deaths in South Africa, 1999-2009. PLoS One. 2015;10(6):e0129173. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0129173
  5. Zürcher K, Zwahlen M, Ballif M, Rieder HL, Egger M, Fenner L. Influenza pandemics and tuberculosis mortality in 1889 and 1918: analysis of historical data from Switzerland. PLoS One. 2016;11(10):e0162575. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0162575
  6. Cassini A, Colzani E, Pini A, Mangen MJ, Plass D, McDonald SA, et al.; On Behalf Of The BCoDE Consortium. Impact of infectious diseases on population health using incidence-based disability-adjusted life years (DALYs): results from the Burden of Communicable Diseases in Europe study, European Union and European Economic Area countries, 2009 to 2013. Euro Surveill. 2018;23(16). doi:.https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2018.23.16.17-00454
  7. World Health Organization ROfE. Evaluation of seasonal influenza vaccination policies and coverage in the WHO European Region. Available at: http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/241644/Evaluation-of-seasonal-influenza-vaccination-policies-and-coverage-in-the-WHO-European-Region.pdf 2014.
  8. Federal Office of Public Health. National Seasonal Flu (Influenza) Vaccination Website. Available at: https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/krankheiten/krankheiten-im-ueberblick/grippe. 2018.
  9. Brinkhof MW, Spoerri A, Birrer A, Hagman R, Koch D, Zwahlen M. Influenza-attributable mortality among the elderly in Switzerland. Swiss Med Wkly. 2006;136(19-20):302–9. doi:.https://doi.org/10.4414/smw.2006.11373
  10. Federal Office of Public Health. National Influenza Vaccination Website: vaccine recommendations. Available at: https://wwwvaccinateagainstthefluch/en-us/vaccination/impfempfehlungenhtml.
  11. pharmaSuisse. Impfen in der Apotheke: Bestandsaufnahme und Erfahrungen der Apotheken. Available at: https://impfapotheke.ch/assets/aktuelles/7-pharmasuisse-studie-impfen-2018-08-16.pdf. 2018.
  12. Burton-Jeangros C, Cullati S, Manor O, Courvoisier DS, Bouchardy C, Guessous I. Cervical cancer screening in Switzerland: cross-sectional trends (1992-2012) in social inequalities. Eur J Public Health. 2017;27(1):167–73.
  13. Fenner L, Kässner A, Berlin C, Egger M, Zwahlen M. Trends in the use of mammography for early breast cancer detection in Switzerland: Swiss Health Surveys 2007 and 2012. Swiss Med Wkly. 2018;148:w14603. doi:.https://doi.org/10.4414/smw.2018.14603
  14. Swiss Federal Statistical Office. Schweizerische Gesundheitsbefragung 2012. Available at: https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/kataloge-datenbanken/publikationen.assetdetail.349056.html. 2012.
  15. Ammon CE. A survey of institutional influenza vaccination in Switzerland. Soz Praventivmed. 2000;45(4):182–7. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01359915
  16. Toscani L, Gauthey L, Robert CF. The information network of senior citizens in Geneva, Switzerland, and progress in flu vaccination coverage between 1991 and 2000. Vaccine. 2003;21(5-6):393–8. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1016/S0264-410X(02)00411-5
  17. The Lancet. Addressing decreasing vaccine coverage in the EU. Lancet. 2018;391(10131):1638. doi:. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30942-5
  18. European Union. EU Manifesto on Influenza Vaccination. Our response to the burden of influenza in Europe. Available at: http://eufightingflucom/manifesto/. 2018.
  19. Altpeter E, Wymann MN, Richard JL, Mäusezahl-Feuz M. Marked increase in measles vaccination coverage among young adults in Switzerland: a campaign or cohort effect? Int J Public Health. 2018;63(5):589–99. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-018-1102-x
  20. Larson HJ, Jarrett C, Eckersberger E, Smith DM, Paterson P. Understanding vaccine hesitancy around vaccines and vaccination from a global perspective: a systematic review of published literature, 2007-2012. Vaccine. 2014;32(19):2150–9. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2014.01.081
  21. Casalino E, Ghazali A, Bouzid D, Antoniol S, Pereira L, Kenway P, et al.; Emergency Department study group on respiratory viruses. Patient’s behaviors and missed opportunities for vaccination against seasonal epidemic influenza and evaluation of their impact on patient’s influenza vaccine uptake. PLoS One. 2018;13(3):e0193029. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0193029
  22. Wendlandt R, Cowling BJ, Chen Y, Havers F, Shifflett P, Song Y, et al. Knowledge, attitudes and practices related to the influenza virus and vaccine among older adults in Eastern China. Vaccine. 2018;36(19):2673–82. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2018.03.052
  23. Wheelock A, Thomson A, Sevdalis N. Social and psychological factors underlying adult vaccination behavior: lessons from seasonal influenza vaccination in the US and the UK. Expert Rev Vaccines. 2013;12(8):893–901. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1586/14760584.2013.814841
  24. Sullivan SG, Chilver MB, Carville KS, Deng YM, Grant KA, Higgins G, et al. Low interim influenza vaccine effectiveness, Australia, 1 May to 24 September 2017. Euro Surveill. 2017;22(43). doi:.https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2017.22.43.17-00707
  25. Sah P, Medlock J, Fitzpatrick MC, Singer BH, Galvani AP. Optimizing the impact of low-efficacy influenza vaccines. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2018;115(20):5151–6. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1802479115
  26. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Seasonal influenza vaccination trends. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/fluvaxview/1112season.htm. 2012.
  27. Glezen WP, Couch RB, MacLean RA, Payne A, Baird JN, Vallbona C, et al. Interpandemic influenza in the Houston area, 1974-76. N Engl J Med. 1978;298(11):587–92. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM197803162981103
  28. Shang M, Blanton L, Brammer L, Olsen SJ, Fry AM. Influenza-associated pediatric deaths in the United States, 2010-2016. Pediatrics. 2018;141(4):e20172918. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2017-2918
  29. Basurto-Dávila R, Meltzer MI, Mills DA, Beeler Asay GR, Cho BH, Graitcer SB, et al. School-Based Influenza Vaccination: Health and Economic Impact of Maine’s 2009 Influenza Vaccination Program. Health Serv Res. 2017;52(Suppl 2):2307–30. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.12786
  30. Fiore AE, Epperson S, Perrotta D, Bernstein H, Neuzil K. Expanding the recommendations for annual influenza vaccination to school-age children in the United States. Pediatrics. 2012;129(Suppl 2):S54–62. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2011-0737C
  31. Zerbo O, Qian Y, Yoshida C, Fireman BH, Klein NP, Croen LA. Association between influenza infection and vaccination during pregnancy and risk of autism spectrum disorder. JAMA Pediatr. 2017;171(1):e163609. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2016.3609
  32. Hviid A, Svanström H, Mølgaard-Nielsen D, Lambach P. Association between pandemic influenza A(H1N1) vaccination in pregnancy and early childhood morbidity in offspring. JAMA Pediatr. 2017;171(3):239–48. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2016.4023
  33. Ferdinands JM, Olsho LE, Agan AA, Bhat N, Sullivan RM, Hall M, et al.; Pediatric Acute Lung Injury and Sepsis Investigators (PALISI) Network. Effectiveness of influenza vaccine against life-threatening RT-PCR-confirmed influenza illness in US children, 2010-2012. J Infect Dis. 2014;210(5):674–83. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiu185
  34. Zerbo O, Iosif AM, Walker C, Ozonoff S, Hansen RL, Hertz-Picciotto I. Is maternal influenza or fever during pregnancy associated with autism or developmental delays? Results from the CHARGE (CHildhood Autism Risks from Genetics and Environment) study. J Autism Dev Disord. 2013;43(1):25–33. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1540-x
  35. Zerbo O, Modaressi S, Chan B, Goddard K, Lewis N, Bok K, et al. No association between influenza vaccination during pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes. Vaccine. 2017;35(24):3186–90. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2017.04.074
  36. Talbot HK, Zhu Y, Chen Q, Williams JV, Thompson MG, Griffin MR. Effectiveness of influenza vaccine for preventing laboratory-confirmed influenza hospitalizations in adults, 2011-2012 influenza season. Clin Infect Dis. 2013;56(12):1774–7. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/cit124
  37. Pereira M, Williams S, Restrick L, Cullinan P, Hopkinson NS ; London Respiratory Network. Healthcare worker influenza vaccination and sickness absence - an ecological study. Clin Med (Lond). 2017;17(6):484–9. doi:.https://doi.org/10.7861/clinmedicine.17-6-484
  38. Phrommintikul A, Kuanprasert S, Wongcharoen W, Kanjanavanit R, Chaiwarith R, Sukonthasarn A. Influenza vaccination reduces cardiovascular events in patients with acute coronary syndrome. Eur Heart J. 2011;32(14):1730–5. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehr004
  39. Colquhoun AJ, Nicholson KG, Botha JL, Raymond NT. Effectiveness of influenza vaccine in reducing hospital admissions in people with diabetes. Epidemiol Infect. 1997;119(3):335–41. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1017/S095026889700825X
  40. Liu WC, Lin CS, Yeh CC, Wu HY, Lee YJ, Chung CL, et al. Effect of Influenza Vaccination Against Postoperative Pneumonia and Mortality for Geriatric Patients Receiving Major Surgery: A Nationwide Matched Study. J Infect Dis. 2018;217(5):816–26. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jix616
  41. Arriola CS, Anderson EJ, Baumbach J, Bennett N, Bohm S, Hill M, et al. Does Influenza Vaccination Modify Influenza Severity? Data on Older Adults Hospitalized With Influenza During the 2012-2013 Season in the United States. J Infect Dis. 2015;212(8):1200–8. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiv200
  42. Mosby LG, Rasmussen SA, Jamieson DJ. 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) in pregnancy: a systematic review of the literature. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2011;205(1):10–8. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2010.12.033
  43. Adlhoch C, Snacken R, Melidou A, Ionescu S, Penttinen P ; The European Influenza Surveillance Network. Dominant influenza A(H3N2) and B/Yamagata virus circulation in EU/EEA, 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons, respectively. Euro Surveill. 2018;23(13). doi:.https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2018.23.13.18-00146
  44. NHS Foundation Trust. The Flu Bee Game web app. Available at: https://focusgames.com/case_studies/Flu%20Bee%20-%20Case%20Study%202018.pdf. 2017.
  45. Glanz JM, Wagner NM, Narwaney KJ, Kraus CR, Shoup JA, Xu S, et al. Web-based social media intervention to increase vaccine acceptance: a randomized controlled trial. Pediatrics. 2017;140(6):e20171117. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2017-1117
  46. Lu PJ, Srivastav A, Amaya A, Dever JA, Roycroft J, Kurtz MS, et al. Association of provider recommendation and offer and influenza vaccination among adults aged ≥18 years - United States. Vaccine. 2018;36(6):890–8. doi:.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2017.12.016

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 > >>