Under the motto “Prevent! Protection! Vaccinate!” during European Vaccination Week, the importance of vaccinations will be highlighted. A vaccination campaign in the country is primarily intended to raise awareness of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccination.
On the one hand, the topic of corona has overshadowed all other health issues in the past two years, on the other hand, the hurdle to vaccination has increased due to lockdowns, says Styrian state medical director Ilse Groß: “That means it was difficult to get an appointment in a doctor’s office , and in the vaccination centers you could only get a vaccination with an appointment – all these factors have led to the neglect of standard vaccinations. “
Vaccination gaps in young adults
The aim of the European vaccination week is to raise awareness about measles, mumps and rubella. The national vaccination plan provides for vaccination against the three highly contagious infectious diseases from the age of ten months, before children come to daycare or kindergarten, according to the state health director, who sees vaccination gaps especially among young adults: “The vaccination rate in early childhood is quite good because the parents are made aware of this via the mother-child pass and the regular check-ups. However, there are young people and adults who have somehow slipped through, and it is important to close these vaccination gaps.”
While a vaccination rate of 95 percent is largely achieved among under-18s, according to the Ministry of Health in 2020 it was only 83 percent among 18- to 30-year-olds; among those over 50, on the other hand, many are immune because they have gone through the disease(s), says Groß.
Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
The free measles, mumps and rubella vaccine will be offered on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays next week. At the three vaccination routes in the state at the Graz trade fair, in the Schwarzl leisure center in Unterpremstätten and in Bruck an der Mur, you can also get the stitch against a Covid infection at the same time – information on this is available on the vaccination side of the country. But more than 500 resident doctors also offer free vaccinations throughout Styria – more information is also available on the Preventative medicine website to find.