Influenza: Vaccination

(asked on 8th February 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the efficacy has been of the seasonal flu vaccine, in percentage terms, for people in receipt of it aged 65 and over, in terms of (a) preventing infection, (b) preventing hospitalisation of people infected after receiving the vaccine and (c) preventing influenza being listed as the cause of death for people infected after receiving the vaccination, in each of the last 10 years for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.


Answered by
Jo Churchill Portrait
Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This question was answered on 15th February 2021

Data on the efficacy of the flu vaccine are not available in the format requested.

Public Health England monitors the effectiveness of influenza vaccines each year against all the influenza strains in circulation. Vaccine effectiveness varies from one season to the next. Overall effectiveness has been estimated at between 30-60%. Vaccine effectiveness for each flu season is published in the Annual Flu Report, available from winter 2012/13 is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-flu-reports

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