Prioritization strategies for pandemic influenza vaccine in 27 countries of the European Union and the Global Health Security Action Group: a review

Straetemans, Masja; Buchholz, Udo; Reiter, Sabine; Haas, Walter; Krause, Gérard

doi:10.1186/1471-2458-7-236

Table 4 Ranking of vaccine priority groups ^A

From: Prioritization strategies for pandemic influenza vaccine in 27 countries of the European Union and the Global Health Security Action Group: a review

Countries	1^st priority	2^nd priority	3^rd priority	4^th priority	≥5^th priorities
BG^B	Health care workers Essential service providers	High risk individuals	Healthy adults and children
CA	Health care workers	Essential service providers	High risk individuals	Healthy adults	Children
CY	Health care workers involved with vaccines and antiviral distribution	Essential service providers	High risk individuals	Healthy adults^C	Individuals aged 2–18 yrs^C
DK^D	High risk individuals Health care workers		-	-	-
EE^E	Health care workers	Essential service providers	High risk individuals	-	-
FI^F	Health care workers	-	-	-	-
DE	Health care workers	Essential service providers	-	-	-
HU	Health care workers	Essential service providers
IE	Health care workers	Essential service providers	High risk individuals	Individuals aged > 65 yrs.	5) Selected industries 6) Selected age groups, 7) Offer to all
IT	Health care workers	Essential service providers	High risk individuals	Healthy individuals aged 2–18 yrs.	Healthy adults
MT	Health care workers Essential service providers	Specific age groups with high complication risk	Individuals aged > 65 yrs with chronic diseases^G	Individuals aged 2–64 yrs. with chronic diseases^G	5)Individuals > 65 years without chronic disease 6) infants aged 6–24 months^G 7) Healthy individuals aged 2–16 yrs.^G 8) Healthy adults aged 17–64 yrs.^G
RO	Health care workers	Vaccine manufacturers and distribution staff	Essential service providers	Long term care facilities residents	High risk individuals
SI	Health care workers	Workers involved in pandemic control	High risk individuals	-	-
ES	Health care workers	Essential service providers	High risk individuals	Healthy adults and children
NL^H	"Highest risk" individuals	Health care workers	Specific Pandemic Risk groups	Healthy adults and children	-
UK	Health care workers	Essential service providers	High risk individuals	Individuals aged > 65 yrs.	5) Selected industries 6) Selected age groups, 7) Offer to all
US^I	Vaccine and antiviral manufacturers Health care workers (Tier 1a)	High risk individuals (Tier 1b)	Pregnant woman, household contacts of severely immunocompromised persons, household contacts of children (Tier 1c)	Public health emergency response, Key governmental leaders (Tier 1d)	5) Healthy individuals aged ≥ 65; individuals aged 6 months to 64 yrs. with 1 high-risk condition; healthy infants aged 6–23 months (Tier 2a) 6) Critical infrastructure group (Tier 2b) 7) Offer to all

^A The issue of prioritisation arises only in the situation of absolute or temporal vaccine shortage (or need for time wise stratification due to production time-frame); ^B A final decision regarding priorities will be taken under the conditions of the pandemic; ^C In view of the large numbers of persons among healthy adults and children a decision to vaccinate them will depend on the availability of vaccines, in view of the big numbers of persons covered by these groups; ^D Includes only the two vaccine priority groups who are determined as for prioritisation in advance: decisions on further prioritisation by one of five vaccination strategies as reported in the National Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Plan will be made during the course of the pandemic; ^E Estonian mass vaccination policy foresees four immunization strategies of which implementation depends on vaccine availability; the table includes the prioritization y in two of four strategies assuming limited vaccine; ^F Includes the one vaccine priority group determined in advance; further decisions will be made when more information about the virus is available; ^G In the case that all age groups are affected similarly then these groups will be prioritised (as decided by Malta's National Influenza Pandemic Standing committee and currently being approved and amended by the Director General); ^H The Health Council Committee defined four groups of people that, on medical grounds are most in need of vaccination. "Group 1" will be vaccinated first; in this table this group is depicted as 'highest complication individuals'; the category "Specific Pandemic Risk Groups" probably shows overlap with the "Group 2–4" as defined by the Health Council Committee; healthy adults and children will be vaccinated when enough vaccine is available ¹⁰; ^I Vaccination priority groups are categorised into 4 tiers including subtiers which will be vaccinated with increasing availability of vaccine. Description in this table is limited to tear 1–2. Currently discussion is ongoing to update the ranking of vaccine priority groups.

Back to article page

ISSN: 1471-2458

Contact us

Submission enquiries: bmcpublichealth@biomedcentral.com
General enquiries: ORSupport@springernature.com

BMC Public Health

Contact us