Who should not be vaccinated against flu?
The STIKO is recommended not to be vaccinated if you are currently ill (temperature above 38.5°C) or have an acute infection. The vaccination should be made up promptly after recovery. If there is an allergy to any of the ingredients of the vaccine, such as chicken egg protein, vaccination should be carried out in consultation with the doctor or the vaccination should be omitted in the case of a severe allergy.
Under certain circumstances the vaccination can also be administered under special supervision, for example in a hospital. Unlike adults, children and adolescents usually receive a live vaccine. This vaccine should not be used in cases of immunodeficiency, severe asthma or therapy with salicylate.
Should pregnant women be vaccinated against flu?
The STIKO recommends healthy pregnant women to be vaccinated from the 4th month of pregnancy and, in the case of a chronic illness, already in the 1st third of pregnancy at the beginning of the vaccination season in autumn. The reason for this is that pregnant women can be infected more easily and have an increased risk of more severe disease progression. Since 2010, flu vaccination is therefore recommended for all women who are pregnant in autumn and winter.
Defensive substances can also be transferred to the child via the placenta, so that it is hoped that the newborn child will be protected in the first months after birth, when the newborn child is not yet able to develop sufficient antibodies of its own. A dead vaccine is used for the flu vaccination of adults. This can theoretically be vaccinated in each month of pregnancy. Numerous studies have shown that the vaccine is safe for pregnant women and the unborn child, so that there is no need to worry about the vaccination if there are no indications against influenza vaccination.
Should children be vaccinated against flu?
The STIKO does not make any general recommendations for children and young people. This means that children and adolescents who do not have an increased risk of severe disease progression, for example due to a chronic illness or immunodeficiency, do not usually need to be vaccinated. The STIKO only recommends vaccination for children and adolescents with a chronic disease or an immune deficiency, as this carries the risk of more serious disease progression.
Under certain circumstances, vaccination can also be recommended if children have increased contact with risk persons, for example if they live in the same household and are in close contact with them. Children and adolescents are usually vaccinated with a live vaccine, which can be administered as a nasal spray.
