CD&V MP Nawal Farih submits a bill that allows pharmacists to administer a flu vaccination. The aim is to lower the threshold for a vaccination and thus boost the vaccination coverage.
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Figures from the Federal Health Care Knowledge Center (KCE) show that the coverage rate for influenza vaccination among risk groups has been declining worryingly for years. For over-65s, the vaccination coverage has been declining for eight years, with a coverage rate of only 55 percent in 2016. The vaccination coverage for pregnant women was even below 50 percent. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union (EU) propose a vaccination rate of 75 percent.
Pharmacists can play a complementary role as “close and accessible primary health care actors”, Farih believes. “Because of their proximity, they can reach a part of the population that would otherwise not go to the doctor for a flu vaccine.” The GP must remain responsible for drawing up the prescription for the vaccine.
According to the MP, the corona crisis shows how important a high vaccination coverage is. “After all, we do not know if and when new viruses may emerge in the coming years. Certainly if there would be a new outbreak of COVID-19 or if there would be an epidemic as a result of a new virus with flu-like symptoms, the flu vaccination is all the more important, ”she concludes.
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