Influenza is a contagious illness, with high-risk groups and those with pre-existing comorbidities and chronic conditions bearing the lion’s share of the death burden. Adults aged 50–64 years are recommended for influenza vaccine in South Korea, however there is no government financial incentive to boost vaccination uptake, resulting in poor vaccination rates and major public health issues. The goal of this study was to find out what factors influence influenza vaccination uptake in people aged 50–64 years old and to compare high-risk and non-high-risk groups. During the 2015–2016 flu season, researchers performed randomised telephone surveys in South Korea on influenza vaccine-related behavioural variables in people aged 50–64 years based on their vaccination history. The vaccination rate in non-high-risk people aged 50–64 years was 29.9 percent, and 41.3 percent in high-risk adults aged 50–64 years, which is much lower than the 81.7 percent rate in adults aged 65 years. Individuals who reported being aware of the possible severity of influenza, the significance and safety of vaccination, and having experienced influenza after immunisation or receiving a healthcare recommendation had higher influenza vaccination rates.
As a result, raising public knowledge of influenza illness and vaccination through public campaigns and information from healthcare professionals may offer possibilities to increase vaccine uptake in this group.
Reference:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21645515.2018.1556075
