Influenza vaccination status in multiple sclerosis patients from Latin America

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to identify the frequency of MS patients in Latin America (LATAM) that received the influenza vaccine during the most recent season and the reasons related to non-vaccination. Cross-sectional study between November and December 2020 in a large cohort of MS patients from LATAM. Patients responded about recommendation of receiving influenza vaccine and the use of it as well as reasons for not using the vaccine. Four hundred twelve MS patients were included in the analysis. 47.3% of patients were recommended to receive the vaccine from the treating physician. Nearly 54% of patients did not receive the influenza vaccine, and the most frequent cause was that it was neither recommended nor mentioned by the treating physician (27.4%). Female gender (OR = 2.3, 95%CI 1.4–3.8, p = 0.001) was associated with an increased risk of recommendation, while a progressive form of MS and higher EDSS decreased the risk (OR = 0.49, 95%CI 0.27–0.90, p = 0.023; OR = 0.65, 95%CI 0.55–0.97, p = 0.02, respectively). Despite the evidence to recommend the influenza vaccine in MS patients, a limited number of patients in clinical practice received such recommendation. Supplementary information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13365-021-01011-w.

Influenza Vaccination Coverage among Multiple Sclerosis Patients: Evolution over Time and Associated Factors

“…This study is the first to evaluate, in Spain, influenza vaccination coverage in MS patients. The observed vaccination rates (20.4–41.5%) are in an intermediate position, compared to those described internationally by other authors [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 20 ], which ranged from 19.0% in Germany [ 8 ] to 59.1% in the USA [ 10 ] in MS patients. However, the validity of this comparison could be limited by the fact that, unlike our study, such authors evaluated vaccination coverage in a single season.…”

“…It can limit the deleterious effects derived from fully manifesting flu; such infection can trigger glial activation, increased T cells, and neutrophil cerebral trafficking, as well as contribute towards more severe MS exacerbations [ 7 ]. However, influenza vaccination coverage in these patients in various countries, such as Germany [ 8 ], Italy [ 9 ], the USA [ 10 ], or Latin American countries [ 11 ], is lower than desirable, ranging from 19.0 [ 8 ] to 59.1% [ 10 ].…”

Influenza Vaccination among Multiple Sclerosis Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…This is, to our knowledge, the first study to evaluate the 2020–2021 influenza vaccination coverage in people with MS in Spain. The rate obtained is moderate with respect to those documented internationally [ 12 , 13 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 23 , 24 ], where, in the 2020–2021 season, coverages of 45.4% [ 16 ] to 63.8% [ 15 ] and 68.6% [ 24 ] were described in persons with MS in Latin America [ 16 ], Ireland [ 15 ] and Italy [ 24 ], respectively.…”

“…For this reason, public health institutions [ 6 , 7 ], scientific societies [ 8 , 9 , 10 ] and expert groups [ 5 , 11 ] recommend annual influenza vaccination for patients with MS. However, the vaccination coverage in this population is low [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ], with the rates in Europe ranging from 19% in Germany [ 12 ] to 63.8% in Ireland [ 15 ] ( Table 1 ), while in the Americas, they range from 45.4% in Latin America [ 16 ] to 59.1% in the USA [ 13 ].…”