Free whooping cough revaccination for adults as well, vaccinologists suggest

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“Reimbursement is quite important. We saw this when vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis was introduced in people 50 and older. At that moment, the vaccination rate increased,” Roman Chlíbek, the chairman of the professional society, told the editors.

The effect is also evident in the optional vaccination of seniors over the age of 65 against pneumococcal infections. The vaccine has been available since 2005, but interest only began to rise twelve years later. From 64,000 newly vaccinated in 2017, the number of applicants rose to 134,000 in 2019. Numbers have dropped during the covid pandemic.

“Most people perceive it in the way that if it is covered by health insurance, then it is an important vaccination,” remarked Chlíbek.

Insurance companies offer contributions. When deciding on reimbursements, they evaluate the effectiveness of the costs incurred. According to critics, they do not sufficiently take into account the general benefits of vaccination.

According to Chlíbek, the higher morbidity cannot be attributed to low vaccination coverage, which is around ninety percent for whooping cough. However, the protective effect decreases with age, vaccination does not protect for life, and revaccination is recommended for the first time around the age of 25.

Vaccination against pertussis in adults and pregnant women should definitely be covered

Roman Chlíbek, chairman of the vaccinology society

In the case of tetanus, insurance companies pay for regular revaccination after 10 to 15 years. But if they want to be vaccinated with a combined vaccine that also targets diphtheria and whooping cough, they have to pay for it. They can only get a contribution in return.

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“The vaccination against whooping cough in adults and pregnant women should definitely be covered. For a long time, we have also been fighting for the inclusion of vaccination of newborns and infants against rotavirus. We are one of the few countries in Europe that does not pay for it,” said Chlíbek.

The number of cases of whooping cough continues to rise

According to him, everyone should be vaccinated against diphtheria and whooping cough once in their adult life.

450 infected in a week

Since the beginning of the year, hygienists have recorded almost 1,700 cases of whooping cough, especially among teenagers. This is more than in the last four years combined. This year, the numbers could rise to four thousand. In the last week, the number of sick people increased to 450.

According to microbiologist Peter Šeb, this is partly due to the fact that a new, less effective vaccine is being used. However, declining vaccination rates could contribute to the spread of other diseases.

“We’ve gone from 100 percent vaccination with children’s vaccines to 90 percent, which means that roughly ten percent of children don’t have legally mandatory vaccination,” he said in an interview with the Academy of Sciences.

Cases of polio have already been detected overseas. “If the vaccination rate drops below a certain limit, diphtheria, which is an extremely dangerous disease, can start to spread again,” he added. In January, it appeared in three people, according to the statistics of the State Health Institute.

The willingness of people and parents for optional vaccination varies by region. The Zlín, Moravian-Silesian and South Moravian regions are worst off. Especially with HPV and meningococci. They have a high vaccination rate in the Ústí, Central Bohemia and South Bohemia regions.

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