When it comes to vaccinations, there has been no significant positive development in Austria. According to experts, the vaccination rate in the country is “terrible to horrific” – in an EU comparison we are inglorious last place with two vaccinations.
This is especially the case with whooping cough immunization and hepatitis B. That is why there are many cases of illness with pathogens that should no longer be a problem, says Ursula Wiedermann-Schmidt from MedUni Vienna.
“Huge vaccination differences in the population” have led to an “extreme number of more than 13,000 cases of whooping cough” in 2024, Wiedermann-Schmidt said. Many children also have no or insufficient vaccination protection against measles, which caused 500 diseases this year.
Also vaccinate during pregnancy
The reason for vaccination fatigue is often misinformation, for example about vaccine damage, which in reality is often just an itchy injection site, and that vaccinations during pregnancy, for example, are an absolute taboo for many expectant mothers, says Gerhard Kobinger of the Austrian Chamber of Pharmacists. “The vaccination rates in this country are underground to terrible,” the expert continued.
According to the Austrian vaccination plan, immunizations against whooping cough, influenza, Covid-19 and RSV (human respiratory syncytial virus) are recommended for pregnant women, explains Rudolf Schmitzberger of the Austrian Medical Association. Some of the vaccination protection would then be passed on to the child. It is also important that children are vaccinated against whooping cough before they go to school.
Promising vaccines are coming
In the coming year, new, improved vaccines will be available in this country, Wiedermann-Schmidt reports: for example against meningococci, pneumococci and the chikungunya virus. A vaccine against Lyme disease would also be developed.
This would allow more people to be vaccinated
To overcome vaccination fatigue, the population’s confidence in vaccinations must increase, says Kobinger. Advice from doctors and pharmacies would be important in this regard. It should also cost as little as possible to get vaccinated. For example, many more people would have been vaccinated against flu in 2024 than the year before, because they did not have to pay a cost contribution.
Convenience also plays an important role in the decision whether or not to be immunized, according to Wiedermann-Schmidt: Vaccinations should therefore be made as accessible as possible and, for example, be offered more and more often at people’s workplaces.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
