UK announces policies for seasonal influenza vaccination for autumn 2010-2011; including for pregnant women

ECDC comment

21 June 2010

In a published letter from the Department of Health in London, the UK authorities have announced their recommendations for whom to offer seasonal influenza and pandemic vaccines to for the winter 2010/2011.(1)

UK announces policies for seasonal influenza vaccination in the coming autumn (2010/11 season) inclusion of pregnant women

In a published letter from the Department of Health in London, the UK authorities have announced their recommendations for whom to offer seasonal influenza and pandemic vaccines to for the winter 2010/2011.(1) The same publication also published the estimated coverage of seasonal and pandemic immunisation in 2009/10. The main difference from previous years in the groups to whom the vaccine is recommended in the UK is that pregnant women (at any stage of their pregnancy) are added as a risk group. The authorities recommend that until the new seasonal vaccine is available pregnant women are offered the specific pandemic vaccine. After the new vaccine becomes available then pregnant women are recommended to receive the seasonal vaccine. Pregnant women who have already had the specific pandemic vaccine do not need to be offered the seasonal vaccine. For seasonal influenza vaccine in 2009 the estimated coverage for older people (those aged 65 years and over) was estimated to be 72.4% in 2009/10 slightly below the EU Health Council and WHO targets of 75%.(2,3) For those in the clinical risk groups aged under 65 years, seasonal influenza vaccine coverage was 51.6% in 2009/10 compared to 47.1% in 2008/09.

Provisional coverage for pandemic H1N1 influenza vaccine for those in the clinical risk groups aged 65 and over was 40.4%, and was 35.1%1 for those aged under 65 (data to the end of week 12). The authorities particularly noted the proportionally greater impact the pandemic H1N1 (2009) virus has had on children with chronic neurological conditions.

ECDC Comment (21/06/2010)This development in the UK will be of interest to other EU Member States and authorities that are considering their influenza vaccination policy for the autumn. ECDC generally does not make recommendations for vaccination or other public health measures. Rather it comes up with guidance that is evidence for and against specific policies.(4) In this case European authorities should note the consistent finding that pregnant women are at somewhat higher than normal risk of severe outcomes from the pandemic virus and the good general safety record of the new pandemic vaccines, though published data of experience of vaccination in pregnant women is as yet scarce.(5,6)