Canada is failing to meet its targets for vaccinating people at risk of serious complications of influenza, according to a new study from Statistics Canada.
The agency says as of 2005, flu vaccination rates were increasing across Canada after an apparent levelling off in 2003.
Nevertheless, many considered most at high risk for serious complications from the flu -- specifically seniors and younger people with chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart conditions or kidney disease -- are not being vaccinated.
For vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, young children and those with chronic conditions, influenza can lead to serious complications and even death.
In 1993, a national consensus conference on influenza set target vaccination coverage rates of 70 per cent for adults aged 65 or older and for all adults with chronic medical conditions. These targets were raised to 80 per cent in 2005.
In 2005, seniors aged 65 or older with at least one chronic condition met that target. It was also met by those aged 75 or older with no chronic conditions.
Among seniors aged 65 to 74 without chronic conditions, 62 per cent were vaccinated -- just short of the target. However, the new 80 per cent target, set in 2005, was reached only by seniors aged 75 or older with chronic conditions.
Vaccination rates were much lower among younger people with chronic conditions. Just 56 per cent of individuals aged 50 to 64 with chronic conditions were vaccinated in 2005. Among those younger than 50 with chronic conditions, only about a third were vaccinated.
Universal vaccination programs
Nationally, influenza vaccination rates rose from 15 per cent in 1996/1997 to 27 per cent in 2000/2001. The rates increased to 34 per cent in 2005.
Ontario, which since 2000 has provided free flu shots for residents aged six months and older, led the provinces, with vaccination rates rising from 18 to 42 per cent between 1996/1997 and 2005. Newfoundland and Labrador has the lowest vaccination rate, at 22 per cent.
Immediately after the introduction of the universal vaccination program in Ontario, rates spiked for younger age groups. By contrast, the trend was flat among the elderly, who were previously covered in most provinces.
Nonetheless, vaccination rates are not solely determined by the type of program employed. Although Yukon has offered free flu shots to everyone aged 18 or older since 1999, its vaccination rates are generally the lowest among the territories.
Even without a universal vaccination program, Nova Scotia has matched Ontario's vaccination rates among high-risk groups. Nunavut, too, achieved the highest vaccination rates among the elderly, as well as among young, healthy individuals, even before the introduction of their universal vaccination program.
