The seasonal flu vaccination campaign begins this Saturday. In four regions of France (Hauts-de-France, Occitania, New Aquitaine, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), one can even be vaccinated in pharmacy. It takes about fifteen days for the vaccine to take effect. It protects for six to nine months. In France, the vaccination rate continues to decline.
The seasonal flu vaccination campaign is launched this Saturday, October 6th. This year again it will concern a large part of the French population. The Ministry of Health recommends vaccination for about "12 million people". If you are part of it, do not wait to get vaccinated. It takes about fifteen days for the vaccine to take effect. Enough to protect yourself from the coming epidemic
Who should be vaccinated?
The Ministry of Health believes that the vaccine is especially recommended for "12 million people" in whom the disease can cause complications: over 65, patients with certain chronic diseases (diabetes, heart failure or respiratory), pregnant women, people suffering from high obesity. The adults who are the subject of a recommendation can now withdraw their vaccine in pharmacy by simply presenting their "health insurance coverage", without going to see their doctor. A passage that remains obligatory for children under 18 years old.
Who vaccinates?
Doctors, liberal nurses, midwives. And some pharmacists, in the four regions (Hauts-de-France, Occitania, New Aquitaine, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) participating in the experiment. The vaccination in pharmacy will be extended to the whole territory next year. Without a recommendation, the vaccine costs from € 6 to € 10, reimbursed at 65% by Social Security.
Can we catch the flu with the vaccine?
No, these vaccines are composed of inactivated virus fragments. The strains included this year belong to types A H1N1, H3N2 and one or two types B. These are the ones circulating mostly in the world between September 2017 and January 2018. These vaccines do not contain adjuvants, sometimes decried.
Why get vaccinated early?
It takes fifteen days for the vaccine to take effect. It protects for six to nine months. Enough to protect yourself from the coming epidemic. The vaccination rate of people at risk continues to decline. In 2017, only 49.8% of over-65s were vaccinated, and the vaccination rate of the liberal health staff remains insufficient, despite calls from the ministry. During the last season, about 13,000 French died from the flu.