title: [Efforts concerning the health target of age-specific coverage levels in over 90% of the population of Saxony-Anhalt].
abstract: At the first health conference in Saxony-Anhalt held at Magdeburg in March 1998 six health objectives were defined, among them the objective to increase to 90% the vaccination coverage level of the population. To achieve this goal the participants decided to establish a working group composed of representatives of 20 institutions and organisations interested in vaccination strategies. Subgroups were constituted for the following components of the objective: improvement of the data basis, completion of the special knowledge of physicians and other medical personnel, public information campaigns, and improvement of the structural framework. More than 50 actions per year were initiated or co-ordinated taking into account the special profiles of the institutions and organisations involved. In this way a better identification of the participants with the project was achieved and waste of strength and time was avoided. The data basis was assessed using generally available or newly created parameters such as the incidence of notified vaccine-preventable diseases, measles seroprevalence, and vaccination coverage levels among children aged 5-6 years. Approaches to target group related activities of the working group were derived from these parameters. The most remarkable results of these activities include the definition of age specific vaccination coverage levels, the establishment of a certificate for physicians who have completed a vaccination training course, a monthly press release on vaccination subjects, the design of a poster presentation, the composition of foil-based age group specific lectures, and the establishment of frame conditions for a recall system for practising physicians. The first hurdles on the way to a high age specific vaccination coverage levels have been taken. Further work must be done to improve the use of offered vaccinations and to complete the available data. Therefore, additional target group-related projects and actions are planned for the years to come.
authors.affiliation: Landesuntersuchungsamt für Gesundheits-, Umwelt- und Verbraucherschutz Sachsen-Anhalt, Fachbereich Gesundheit/Hygiene/Epidemiologie.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Oppermann
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kolbe
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000639:trends*; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends