A team from the ARS Bourgogne-Franche-Comté went, this Wednesday, October 19, to an EHPAD in Dijon to support the beginnings of the vaccination campaign once morest influenza which primarily concerns people at risk before being accessible to the entire population.
The flu is expected to come from the southern hemisphere with particular virulence. On October 18, the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté regional health agency launched the vaccination campaign throughout the region.
The first people to benefit from free vaccination are EHPAD residents and people at risk (see below) who will receive a message from Health Insurance. On November 15, the vaccine will be accessible to the entire population under the usual conditions of care.
This Wednesday, October 19, 2022, in Dijon, the EHPAD Notre-Dame de la Visitation received a team from the ARS who came to discuss with the director, caregivers and residents around this start of the vaccination campaign.
A retirement home in a former convent
Since 1989, the Résidence Notre-Dame de la Visitation has been part of the private non-profit sector, under the aegis of the Association Notre-Dame de Joie. In a former Visitandines convent dating from the 17th century, with a 3,000 m² park in the center of Dijon, the EHPAD welcomes 79 residents, religious and lay people.
The establishment has a 15-bed unit for aging persons with disabilities. In particular, the ARS financed a post of monitor-educator specializing in disabilities.
The team is made up of 46 employees. Catering and laundry are done on site. Aline Ferrière has been running the establishment since 2019.
In 2022, residents gave names to hallways and rooms. Hence the rue de la Liberté and rue François-Pompon or even the Bernard-Loiseau, Gustave-Eiffel and Marie-Curie rooms.
Vaccination takes place on a voluntary basis, either only once morest the flu virus, or also once morest the Covid-19 virus, with one injection in each arm in this case. Residents and employees, including caregivers, are concerned.
“The flu was particularly strong in the southern hemisphere”
The seasonal influenza epidemic usually begins at the beginning of December – in 2022, an epidemic broke out in April – hence the choice to launch the vaccination campaign in mid-October to anticipate the development of immunity.
Vaccines are manufactured during the summer and then delivered to pharmacies at the beginning of autumn before being transported to establishments where vaccination operations are organised.
“The virus from the southern hemisphere will traditionally come to us. We know that this year, the flu has been particularly strong in the southern hemisphere so there is a probably increased risk of having more severe flu”, warns Alain Morin, director of public health at the ARS.
This virus from the southern hemisphere enters into the composition of the vaccine which, each year, is adapted to the strains in circulation. Hence the need to renew the flu vaccination annually.
90% vaccinated among EHPAD residents but 25% among caregivers
In nursing homes, on average, 90% of residents are vaccinated each year. “It is important to mobilize all staff to encourage residents to get vaccinated,” says Alain Morin, who deplores the fact that the vaccination coverage rate is, on average, only 25% among caregivers.
“Vaccination is not for oneself, it is to protect residents,” insists Alain Morin. “The challenge is to block all these epidemics”, supports Doctor Agnès Meillier, medical adviser to the direction of the autonomy of the ARS.
A specific problem for pregnant women
In the general population, 60% of people over 65 get vaccinated. A stable indicator over the years. Among people at risk, the coverage rate drops to 35% and even to 10% among pregnant women. However, in the event of contamination by the flu virus, “there is a risk of premature delivery which is multiplied by ten”, indicates Alain Morin.
Apart from people at risk, many vaccination operations are organized in the workplace. Otherwise, anyone can turn to their doctor to establish a prescription.
Jean-Christophe Tardivon
Press release from the legal and administrative information department of October 18, 2022:
Vaccination once morest seasonal flu: the campaign starts on October 18!
The 2022-2023 seasonal flu vaccination campaign begins on October 18, 2022 in mainland France, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Guyana. In Mayotte, it started on September 6.
The flu vaccination campaigns and the Covid-19 vaccination booster campaign are taking place during the same period. Eligible people will receive the anti-Covid vaccine and the flu vaccine (one injection in each arm) at the same time. As a reminder, the previous vaccination campaign had been extended until February 28, 2022, in a context still very marked by the Covid-19 epidemic.
Who is concerned ?
The flu affects between 2 and 6 million people each winter. It is responsible for many hospitalizations and deaths, especially among frail people. A vaccination campaign is organized each year by the Ministry of Health and the HAS, which define the dates. From October 18 to November 15, 2022, vaccination will be reserved for people at risk, as recommended by the High Health Authority:
– people aged 65 and over
– people under the age of 65 with certain chronic diseases
– pregnant women
– people suffering from obesity (BMI equal to or greater than 40 kg/m2)
– the entourage of infants under 6 months at risk (who cannot be vaccinated) and immunocompromised people
– health professionals and professionals from medico-social establishments in contact with patients at risk
– home help for vulnerable private employers
– professionals exposed to swine and avian influenza viruses. They are targeted for the first time as part of the 2022-2023 campaign
Note: it takes a fortnight to benefit from the protection granted by the vaccine.
Who can benefit from the free vaccine?
The flu vaccine is fully reimbursed by Health Insurance for people at risk.
If you are concerned, you will receive from your fund an invitation and a voucher to collect the vaccine free of charge from the pharmacist on presentation of this voucher, and to be vaccinated by the professional of your choice. Persons under the age of 18 must have a medical prescription prior to vaccination.
If you are eligible but might not be identified and invited by the Health Insurance, speak to your doctor, your midwife or your pharmacist, who will be able to issue you a voucher allowing you to get the vaccine for free.
On the other hand, the vaccine is not covered by Health Insurance for other insured persons. The price of the vaccine varies between 6 and 10 € in pharmacies.
Who can vaccinate you once morest the flu?
– the doctors
– the nurses
– midwives (for pregnant women and those around infants at risk)
– volunteer pharmacists, for adults (since October 2019, all pharmacists can perform the flu vaccination)
Reminder: it is advisable, as soon as influenza viruses circulate, to apply a series of simple actions intended to limit transmission
– wash your hands regularly, with soap and water or with a hydroalcoholic solution
– cough or sneeze into your elbow
– use a disposable paper tissue
– wear a mask
– limit contact with fragile or sick people
