Effect of influenza vaccine status on winter mortality in Spanish community-dwelling elderly people during 2002–2005 influenza periods

Influenza vaccination coverage and uptake predictors among Spanish adults suffering COPD

“…5,6 Several studies consider the coverage and the predictors for influenza vaccination among patients with chronic pulmonary disease. 9,23,24,[26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33] UK primary care consultation databases indicate that in lung disease patients influenza vaccination coverage was 36.1% among patients over 65 y of age vs. 23.8% among patients younger than 65. 27,29 Another study in four European countries performed through telephone surveys, observed the following influenza vaccination rates among subjects older than 15 y of age with lung disease: 8% in Poland, 11% in Sweden, 20% in Germany and 30% in Spain.…”

“…31 Finally, data from Greece suggests that this country has lower coverage rates among all high risk (, 20% for chronic lung disease) groups than other European countries. 32 Several studies have been performed in Spain using primary care databases 9,26 17,24,[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36] We believe that the possible reasons for such high coverage among the older Spanish population may be as a consequence of; (1) a well-organized public health service that provides vaccination free of charge to this age group; (2) the effect of annual mass media campaigns (TV, radio and newspapers); (3) good promotion of vaccination campaigns by health care workers. 7,[22][23][24][25][26] Several published articles specifically analyze the factors associated with a greater probability of influenza vaccination among individuals who have chronic lung disease.…”

“…6 Annual influenza vaccination is the most important preventive measure recommended by public health authorities for all high risk subjects, with the objective of avoiding more serious complications, hospital admissions, and deaths. 7,8 Studies performed in Spain and Holland 9,10 have shown that there is a significant statistical relationship between vaccination and a decreased risk of death, these studies find a decrease of approximately 23%. Several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of vaccination; specifically how it reduces the number of hospital admissions by 50-60% and mortality by up to 80% in older patients and those with COPD.…”

Influenza vaccination coverages among children, adults, health care workers and immigrants in Spain: Related factors and trends, 2003–2006

“…1,8e11 Recently, Vila-Corcoles et al conducted a cohort study to evaluate the relationship between annual influenza vaccination and all-cause mortality in older adults living in the community and found that influenza vaccination was associated with a significant reduction of 23% in winter mortality risk during the 2002e2005 influenza periods in Spain. 12 In Spain, the responsibility for laying down guidelines for use of the influenza vaccine lies with the Ministry for Health & Consumer Affairs (MHCA) working in liaison with the Autonomous Regions. 13 Since 1992 the recommendations issued by the MHCA have included all subjects above the age of 64 years, younger persons who suffer medical disorders and are at increased risk for severe complications from influenza (chronic pulmonary, cardiovascular, renal, hepatic, hematological or metabolic disorders), subjects who have immunosuppression, health care workers (HCWs) and residents of nursing homes and other chronic-care facilities.…”

First steps in the design of a system to monitor vaccine effectiveness during seasonal and pandemic influenza in EU/EEA Member States

“…A majority of the studies reviewed included the potential confounders as covariates in a regression model. Some authors controlled for confounding using propensity scores, the conditional probability of being vaccinated given observed covariates [11,18,39,[56][57][58]. They are used to group individuals at levels of the propensity score or as a covariate in the regression model.…”