As temperatures drop, flu and flu-like viruses will begin to circulate. To reach the peak we will have to wait until the end of December, close to Christmas. Meanwhile, the flu vaccination campaign has started. We talk about it with Dr. Chiara Cinughi de Pazzi, head of public hygiene in the Sienese area of the South East ASL.
Has the prevention campaign started?
“Yes, on October 1st in the RSAs, on October 7th for the rest of the population. General practitioners and paediatricians administer the vaccines; those who undergo the Covid vaccination by their doctor or in the local health authority centers have the opportunity to also carry out co-administration of the flu shot”.
Who is the flu vaccine suitable for?
“It is recommended and offered free of charge to children between 6 months and 6 years and to subjects over 60. Between 6 and 60 years it is highly recommended and free for subjects with risk conditions, or concomitant pathologies, for family members/cohabitants of subjects fragile, for pregnant and postpartum women, for those who carry out public utility work, for healthcare workers, for those who work in contact with animals, for blood donors, vaccination serves not only to protect the individual but also the community through reducing the circulation of the virus, in particular the fragile”.
Why get vaccinated?
“In Europe from 15 thousand to 70 thousand people die every year from complications related to the flu. We get vaccinated to protect ourselves and others; thus we also reduce the impact on health services and the burden of care in hospitals and clinics”.
How does the flu manifest itself?
“It is an acute respiratory infection, which occurs after an incubation of 1-2 days. The most common symptoms are fever, cold, dry cough, chills, joint pain. Subjects without concomitant pathologies recover in a week without specific therapies , with rest and antipyretics; fragile subjects, due to age or due to concomitant pathologies, immunosuppression situations, the flu should absolutely not be underestimated due to the associated complications and sequelae”.
There’s a flu surveillance network, right?
“There is a network of sentinel doctors, which involves general practitioners, paediatricians of free choice and regional reference laboratories, coordinated by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, which guarantees both epidemiological and virological surveillance with weekly reports from the 42nd week of one year to the 17th of the following year”.
What is our coverage?
“For the flu shot, the minimum objective set by the ministry is 75% of the population receiving vaccination as a priority, the optimal is 95%. For Tuscany the coverage of over 65s in the past season was around 58%: we must work at all levels to intensify vaccination.”
Paola Tomassoni
