Vaccination is advised for patients:
- with pulmonary disease: asthma (when maintenance medication is given; this also holds true for children), COPD, carcinoma of the lung, anthracosilicosis, lungfibrosis , mucoviscidosis, severe kyfoscoliosis, status after resection of a lung, breathing difficulties;
- with cardiac disease: having experienced a myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, arrhythmias, valve dysfunction, cardiac failure;
- with diabetes mellitus, even if not on medication;
- with chronic kidney disease/failure: dialysis, kidney transplant;
- with sickle cell disease (SS or SC);
- after a recent bone marrow transplant;
- with HIV-infection;
- with an (intellectual) disability in an intramural setting;
- with a diminished resistance to infections: livercirrosis, (functional) asplenia, auto-immune illnesses, chemotherapy, immunosuppressive medication;
- 60 years and older.
For the following personnel vaccination is highly desirable:
- personnel in nursing homes , homes for care of the elderly, hospitals;
- health care workers who have frequent and intensive contacts with patients including personnel in the outpatient clinics or GP/specialist practices.
Others for whom vaccination is desirable:
· home care givers to persons running a high risk of severe illness and mortality due to influenza
Side effects of the vaccine: local redness, swelling and pain.
Contra-indication for vaccination: allergy to eggs, or to any other substance in the vaccine, (convalescence from) an acute illness.
Patient Information:
Vaccination reduces morbidity by 30-70% and reduces complications by 20-50%.
Vaccination does not offer protection against influenza like illnesses that are not caused by influenza viruses.
When to vaccinate:
Yearly between mid october and mid november. Children under 6 years of age should be vaccinated twice with an interval of 4 weeks, unless they have been previously vaccinated.