Prevention of influenza infection--a Polish perspective.
Influenza is a viral respiratory illness that causes high morbidity and significant mortality in humans. Costs associated with influenza in terms of human suffering are immeasurable and the economic costs are very high. Every year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 5-25% of the global population suffers from infection with influenza and influenza-like viruses and between 500 thousand and one million individuals of all ages die from multiple organ complications, irrespective of the geographic location. Influenza vaccination is still neglected and the percentage of the global population vaccinated remains low. The first authorization for the use of influenza vaccines in humans was issued in 1941. Currently, many varieties of influenza vaccine are available, containing either fragments of inactivated influenza virus or live vaccine which consists of attenuated virus. The influenza vaccine is most often developed in chick embryos or less frequently in tissue culture such as MDCK and Vero. A variety of inactivated vaccines are registered in Poland. Due to the mutability of the virus, it is not yet possible to develop a universal vaccine, nor can the disease be eradicated; however, prevention is possible by inoculating the greatest percentage of the global population. According to the WHO, Poland is in the penultimate position in Europe in terms of the percentage of the population vaccinated. In the last epidemic season of 2012/2013 only 3.75% of the Polish population was immunized.
Department of Influenza Research. National Influenza Centre, National Institute of Public Health - National Institute of Hygiene, Warsaw, Poland; Department of Immunology, Faculty of Biology, University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland; 3Department of Family Medicine, Warsaw Medical University, Poland.
Lidia Bernadeta
LB
Brydak
Department of Immunology, Faculty of Biology, University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland; 3Department of Family Medicine, Warsaw Medical University, Poland.
Aneta
A
Nitsch-Osuch
D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D007252:Influenza Vaccines