Seasonal influenza vaccination policies in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: Current status and the way forward

• Published in: Vaccine Vol. 37; no. 12; pp. 1601 - 1607
• Main Authors: Abubakar, Abdinasir, Melhem, Nada, Malik, Mamunur, Dbaibo, Ghassan, Khan, Wasiq Mehmood, Zaraket, Hassan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 14.03.2019; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Chronic illnesses; Coinfection; Comorbidity; Eastern Mediterranean Region; Expatriates; Female; Health care; Health Personnel; Health Policy; History, 21st Century; Humans; Immunization; Immunization Programs - legislation & jurisprudence; Influenza; Influenza (human); Influenza Vaccines - administration & dosage; Influenza Vaccines - immunology; Influenza, Human - epidemiology; Influenza, Human - history; Influenza, Human - prevention & control; Male; Medical personnel; Mediterranean Region - epidemiology; Northern Hemisphere; Policies; Policy; Pregnancy; Public Health Surveillance; Regional Health Planning; Risk groups; Seasons; Southern Hemisphere; Surveillance systems; Surveys and Questionnaires; Target groups; Vaccination; Vaccination - legislation & jurisprudence; Vaccines; Womens health; Mediterranean Region; Afghanistan; Sudan; Egypt; Somalia; Libya; Bahrain; Syria; Oman; Djibouti; Saudi Arabia; Lebanon; Pakistan; Iran; Morocco; Qatar; Iraq; Kuwait; Tunisia; Yemen; Policy; Eastern Mediterranean Region; Surveys and questionnaires; Vaccination; Influenza (human)
• ISSN: 0264-410X; 1873-2518
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.02.001

•Fourteen countries in the Eastern Mediterranean have influenza vaccination policies.•Discrepancies among the policies with some dropping important risk groups.•Vaccination coverage is generally low.•Scarce data on the burden of influenza and vaccination coverage. The World Health Organization recommends annual influenza vaccination, especially in high-risk groups. Little is known about the adoption and implementation of influenza vaccination policies in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. A survey was distributed to country representatives at the ministries of health of the 22 countries of the Region between December 2016 and February 2017 to capture data on influenza immunization policies, recommendations, and practices in place. Of the 20 countries that responded to the survey, 14 reported having influenza immunization policies during the 2015/2016 influenza season. All countries with an influenza immunization policy recommended vaccination for people with chronic medical conditions, healthcare workers and pilgrims. Two of the 20 countries did not target pregnant women. Eight countries used the northern hemisphere formulation, one used the southern hemisphere formulation and nine used both. Vaccination coverage was not monitored by all countries and for all target groups. Where reported, coverage of a number of target groups (healthcare workers, children) was generally low. Data on the burden of influenza and vaccine protection are scarce in the Region. Despite widespread policy recommendations on influenza vaccination, attaining high coverage rates remains a challenge in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Tackling disparities in influenza vaccine accessibility and strengthening surveillance systems may increase influenza vaccine introduction and use.