Misconceptions concerning influenza: an overview and clear answers.

Abstract

An interactive session exposed the common misconceptions about vaccination. The session chair persons, Dr. A. Monto of the University of Michigan and Dr. A.D.M.E. Osterhaus of the Erasmus Medical Centre in The Netherlands, showed video clips of healthcare workers making controversial statements about vaccination. After reacting to the video clips, Monto and Osterhaus entered into a lively debate with members of the audience. Misconceptions and misinformation concerning influenza are widespread, even amongst the medical community. Many people believe that influenza is a relatively benign disease, and that contracting it is an unavoidable fact of life. These people do not realise that getting vaccinated can provide them with a substantial degree of protection. Many also fear "side effects" even though the influenza vaccine rarely induces severe influenza-like illness (ILI) much less any other side effects. Some people feel that it is simply not worth getting vaccinated since they only catch the flu once every 10 years. The probability of being infected by the virus can be quite high for some groups, however,and the consequences of infection - debilitating illness, loss of mobility, secondary infections - can be particularly severe for high-risk groups. Vaccination is still limited to only 17% of the population in the EU countries but ESWI hopes to change that. A direct result of the conference was the decision to promote vaccination of one-third of the population - or about 150 million people - in the 25 EU countries by 2010.