Low prevalence of influenza vaccination in hospitalized patients, in a General Hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Abstract

Background: Seasonal influenza is an acute respiratory infection caused by influenza viruses. It is relevant for Public Health because it can cause severe illness or death in certain risk groups. During seasonal epidemics, health services can become overloaded and there is a social and economic impact related to work absenteeism. The most effective way to prevent the disease is annual vaccination. Since 2011, the annual vaccination for influenza it is included in the National Vaccination Program for high-risk groups. The goal set by the Ministry of Health is a 95-100% coverage for this group. There is no data about coverage in adult people in Buenos Aires. Methods & Materials: This is an observational, transversal study. The objective is to describe the prevalence of influenza vaccination in patients in a general ward who belonged to high risk group, in Hospital Ramos Mejia, a public general hospital in Buenos Aires. As influenza vaccination should take place between March and June each year, patients were included between July and December 2016. Results: We included 91 patients in our study, 69,2% were women (n = 63), with a mean age of 57 years. The most frequent cause for hospitalization were respiratory infections (24%). Risk factors for influenza were age (≥65 years), in 28%, COPD (13%), corticosteroid use or immunosuppression (12% each). Some patients had at least two risk factors (24%). Only 35% of high-risk patients had received flu-vaccine, significantly inferior to national recommendations. In those patients who had at least one health checkup during the previous year, the chance of vaccination was greater (48% versus 14%, OR 5.5). Despite this, only half of the patients who had a heath checkup received the corresponding vaccine, although they did have an indication. The most frequent referred reason for not receiving influenza-vaccine was the lack of information about the recommendation. Conclusion: Although the study has some limitations related to the small sample size and the descriptive design, we found a low prevalence of influenza vaccination in this group of high risk patients. It is important to reinforce in the community and among health professionals the importance of annual influenza vaccination in high-risk groups.