A very meager percentage. The Minister for Health Delegate Yannick Neuder judged “crazy” on Thursday that only 20 % of the nursing staff in the hospital is vaccinated against flu, urging health professionals in France to “show the example”.
“In the land of pastor, in the land of lights, it is still crazy that we come to that only 20 % of the caregivers are vaccinated” against the seasonal flu, he estimated on Franceinfo. “I think we have a problem with vaccination and there is a lot of need to do pedagogy.”
“Pathologies come back in force,” he said, quoting the recent measles epidemic in Morocco as examples or the “more than 60 deaths” of meningitis identified in France. “So I think we have a public health message, even more when you are a caregiver,” he added, he added.
The Minister calls “all of France’s health professionals, whether in a public, private hospital, in a medico-social establishment, to give an example and to vaccinate (…) because when you are patient, it is still rather tranquilizing to see that your health professional has vaccinated”.
Mandatory EHPAD vaccination?
Regarding the flu vaccination of the elderly residing in EHPAD, which the Minister of Health Catherine Vautrin wishes to make compulsory, Yannick Neuder indicated that this was indeed part of “the subjects which are under discussion” while seeming to issue certain reserves.
“The rate of vaccination of patients in nursing homes is already important, it is around 85 %, so I’m not sure that there will be a huge gain,” he said. “In any case, it is strongly advised (…) We know very well that patients in nursing homes are often the oldest patients with significant comorbidity and above all a life in community, we know that this is where we combine all risks. »»
