The Health Council is an important advisory body to the government, and its recommendations are generally followed.
Serious complications or death
The flu shot is offered annually through the National Influenza Prevention Program to the elderly and people with a certain medical condition. For most people, the flu is not serious, the council writes, but for this group of people, flu can lead to ‘serious complications or even death’.
The State Secretary for Health, Welfare and Sport had asked the Health Council whether the ‘current state of science’ gives cause to adjust the target groups.
That is the case: the Health Council recommends that pregnant women from 22 weeks also be eligible for the flu shot. In this way, children from 0 to 6 months are protected.
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Breathing problems
Newborns themselves cannot be vaccinated against flu, according to the Health Council, but they do run a risk of respiratory problems and hospitalization with the flu. Vaccination of the mother during pregnancy reduces that risk. “An added benefit is that vaccination can help prevent pregnant women themselves from being hospitalized as a result of the flu.”
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Groups to add
The council also recommends adding a few more groups that, according to recent scientific data, are also at increased risk of becoming very ill.
Also in obesity, dementia
This includes people with morbid obesity (BMI of 40 or higher). Another condition that, according to the committee, should be added as a medical risk is dementia. Dementia appears to be a risk factor for death from flu and pneumonia.
Hearing aids
People with implantable hearing aids are also a medical risk group. They run the risk of meningitis with flu, which is often preceded by an acute middle ear infection.
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Because healthy children between 6 months and 17 years of age usually become much less seriously ill, they do not need a flu shot. “Although flu is common in this age group, serious complications are rare.”
No flu epidemic this year
A flu epidemic usually occurs around February (see box). This year there was no flu epidemic, how that is explained in the Corona-update 203.
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There is no reason to adjust the current age limit of 60 years for healthy elderly people.
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Flu vaccine effectiveness
The flu vaccine is determined about six months before the flu season on the basis of the flu viruses circulating at that time. One year there is a better match between the vaccine and the flu viruses that end up circulating during the flu season than the next.
A flu epidemic usually starts in December or January. When exactly an epidemic starts and how long it lasts is different every year. Vaccination at the end of October/beginning of November seems to offer protection against both an early and a late epidemic.
Research into flu epidemics in recent decades suggests that the peak in the number of infections, which is usually around February, may be shifting to later in the year. But according to the Health Council, there is still insufficient evidence to push vaccination backwards and thus risk that there is insufficient protection in case of an early epidemic.
Source: Health Council
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