;Resize=(1200,627)&impolicy=perceptual&quality=mediumHigh&hash=e26212ce62fafdb605aa09e441dd561d4afef661b5c5347392703d0cf3528101 "You should get vaccinated against these diseases in the fall")
Cold season means vaccination season. But along with the physical fatigue that sets in as the days become shorter in autumn, there is also a sluggishness in vaccinations. According to the Rhineland-Palatinate General Practitioners Association, many people are currently hesitant about vaccination. Demand is “very slow,” said state chairwoman Barbara Römer of the German Press Agency.
High-risk patients would not make appointments – even though they should normally be vaccinated by the end of the year. Failure to receive vaccinations can have a significant impact on health and lead to serious illnesses.
FOCUS online has compiled which vaccinations are due in autumn and for whom they are relevant.
1. Corona
What awaits us in autumn:
Experts expect a significant number of corona infections in the fall. The number of new infections in this country is increasing, which is partly due to the new virus variants Eris and Pirola. They are very more contagious, but no more dangerous than other variants.
Who should get vaccinated:
The Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) only recommends a booster vaccination to selected people. This includes people with underlying illnesses and weakened immune systems and their contacts, people over 60, residents of retirement homes and medical professionals. A refresher is not necessary if a corona infection occurred in the summer.
Reasons for vaccination:
Vaccination protection wears off over time. A booster vaccination, which according to the RKI should preferably be carried out in autumn, increases protection against corona infections. It prevents pneumonia, shortness of breath, long Covid and diseases of the heart, lungs and nervous system as well as severe or fatal courses.
The new vaccine from Biontech/Pfizer, which has been available since mid-September 2023, protects against the current Corona variants.
Having Covid-19 alone does not provide this protection.
2. Flu
What awaits us in autumn:
According to “Tagesschau”, virologists are expecting a slightly more severe flu wave this year. A harbinger is the sometimes massive flu outbreak in the southern hemisphere in the past winter months. According to virologist Martin Stuermer, the flu strains that are circulating there will soon also be circulating in the northern hemisphere.
Who should get vaccinated:
According to the Stiko recommendation, people over 60, chronically ill people, residents of nursing homes, medical professionals and employees in facilities with a lot of contact with people should also be vaccinated against flu. Vaccination is also recommended for pregnant women and contacts of high-risk patients.
Reasons for vaccination:
Currently, four virus types, of which there are different variants worldwide, cause influenza. The composition of the variants changes annually and sometimes also with the season. The vaccine is adjusted based on the expected variants. It then contains the appropriate antigens to provide optimal protection against flu.
In risk groups, vaccination prevents severe to life-threatening disease progression. In this way, it prevents pneumonia and consequences for the heart and vascular system and can also avert fatal courses.
Vaccinations against influenza and corona can also be done in one appointment. One injection is then given in the left arm and the other in the right.
3. Pneumococcus
What awaits us in autumn:
Pneumococcal diseases are also more common in the cold season. Pneumococci are bacteria that colonize the nasopharynx and are transmitted through droplet infections.
Since the abolition of corona protective measures such as mask requirements and keeping your distance, pneumococcal infections have been increasing again; Last fall and winter the number of cases rose noticeably. This development is also likely this year because, as the RKI announced in a press release from the end of September, the pneumococcal vaccination rate has been low for years and the disease burden is high.
Who should get vaccinated:
Stiko advises people over 60 and people with chronic heart and lung diseases, weakened immune systems, diabetes requiring treatment and certain neurological diseases to get vaccinated.
People with a cochlear implant – a hearing prosthesis – and a cerebrospinal fluid fistula should also get vaccinated. People who weld and cut metals for a living and who are exposed to metal fumes are also advised to take pneumococcal spades.
All of these risk groups should have such a vaccination every six years.
The vaccination is also recommended for babies between the ages of two and eleven months.
Reasons for vaccination:
Almost one in three people carries pneumococci. They usually do not cause any symptoms. However, if the immune system is weakened, the bacteria can multiply and cause illness. These include lung, middle ear, sinus and meningitis as well as infections of the pericardium. Sepsis is also possible.
According to the Lung Information Service, two to ten percent of all serious pneumococcal diseases are fatal. In 15 percent of those affected, consequential damage remains. A vaccination can protect against the infection and its effects.
4. Shingles
What awaits us in autumn:
The vaccination against shingles does not depend on the season. Since the immune system is particularly stressed in the cold season, immunization is also recommended in autumn.
Who should get vaccinated:
Anyone who had chickenpox as a child carries the pathogen that causes shingles. As we get older, the virus can then trigger the disease because the immune system weakens. Stiko recommends vaccination to people with chronic illnesses and immunodeficiency aged 50 and over as well as healthy people aged 60 and over.
Reasons for vaccination:
According to Stiko, statistically 33 out of 100 people will develop shingles if they are not vaccinated against it. As the disease progresses, a rash with blisters and burning pain in the affected areas occurs in the area of the head, trunk or chest.
Once the rash has healed, post-herpetic neuralgia – also known as post-herpetic neuralgia – can occur in twelve to 20 percent of those affected. This is severe and permanent nerve pain, which is sometimes accompanied by short, severe pain attacks. The skin also itches in the affected area and is sensitive to touch.
A vaccination can prevent the outbreak of shingles and the subsequent post-herpetic neuralgia. To immunize, two vaccinations two to six months apart are necessary.