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Berlin – To increase the sometimes very low vaccination rate among adults, politicians’ hopes are based, among other things, on plans to expand vaccination in pharmacies.
With further offers it is hoped that they will be able to reach additional target groups, reported Ines Perea, head of sub-department 63 “Health Protection” at the Federal Ministry of Health, yesterday at the “Vaccination Summit”. Daily Mirrorpublisher in Berlin.
The expansion is stipulated in a statutory amendment to strengthen public health that has not yet been agreed to by the department. That German medical journal reported. The topic was originally part of pharmaceutical reform. Because of the halt, the vaccination aspect was shifted to pharmacies, Perea said.
In the future, pharmacists will not only be able to carry out vaccinations against COVID-19 and flu, but will also be allowed to carry out all other vaccinations with inactivated vaccines in adults permanently. This is regulated in an amendment to the law to strengthen public health that has not been coordinated by the department. In the future, pharmacies may also provide vaccinations against diphtheria, hepatitis B, polio, whooping cough, tetanus, and others.
Speaking to medical representatives, he said: “We do not intend to replace anything that the medical profession does, but rather to complement it.”
It is assumed that vaccination offers in pharmacies may be aimed at groups other than those already interested in vaccination.
He would like to see a shift in vested interests in this issue. The proposal to expand vaccination in pharmacies did not immediately receive support from the medical profession. However, considering the vaccination rate, there is a lot that needs to be done. Perea also discusses the sometimes burdensome nature of medical practices.
In a hearing at the Bundestag’s Health Committee, the Federal Association of German Pharmacists’ Associations (ABDA) welcomed the planned regulations on Wednesday evening. According to experience reports, vaccination in pharmacies is mostly not a substitute for vaccination in the doctor’s office, this is also said there.
The Drug Manufacturers Research Association (vfa) also supported the project in an expert hearing. An increase in vaccination rates can also be assumed based on the experience of other countries.
“We’re not taking anything away from ourselves,” said Thomas Fischbach, co-chair of NABI’s National Vaccination Action Alliance, at the event. Daily Mirror. The pharmacy problem is a “theater of fake war.” The pediatrician also acknowledged that pediatric practices would not be affected by the proposal. He also called for further steps such as catching up on vaccinations in schools.
For example, Perea described vaccination rates of adults aged 60 and over against pneumococcus and shingles as poor. “It’s important that we address this issue more forcefully in the next few years, to see how we can do more in this area,” Perea said. High vaccination rates are no longer as easy to achieve in elderly populations as they are in infants and children, which can be achieved through U screening.
In terms of flu vaccination, Germany is also far behind other European countries such as Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, Spain and Italy. However, they believe that the elderly group can be better reached through campaigns that are more specific to the target group.
The new “Federal Institute for Prevention and Medical Education” (BIPAM) plan should also aim at strengthening here, with campaigns on social media, for example. The goal is to strengthen confidence in vaccination and clear up misconceptions.
aerzteblatt.de
In this case, Fischbach noted the negative impact of the corona pandemic: He specifically criticized political statements and interference that were not related to the work of the Permanent Commission on Vaccination (STIKO). This causes uncertainty among some people.
According to Perea, hope for increasing vaccination rates also lies in electronic patient files. In the future, automated vaccination reminders and perhaps forwarding them to local pharmacies or family doctor’s offices could also be possible, he said. “Right now it’s still in the future, but I think it’s definitely achievable in the next three to four years.”
Low-threshold vaccination offers should also be made in care facilities and establishments or as part of campaigns in busy places such as shopping malls, Perea said. “Vaccination summit” in Daily Mirror has been around since 2020 and is supported by the Association of Drug Manufacturers Researchers. © ggr/aerzteblatt.de
