The recent cases of measles outbreaks in US and Europe reignited the debate on vaccines, the science behind them and the conflict between the right to individual freedom and the state intervention. Amongst the several factors that contribute to the decrease of vaccination coverage – especially in some groups – vaccine hesitancy is one of particular interest, which should require much greater attention from public health and epidemiology, medical sociology, anthropology, and the behavioural, economic and political sciences.
According to the last news from FluNews Europe, the current wave of influenza is causing a higher level of mortality among elderly people compared to the four previous seasons. In fact, an excess of all-cause mortality among the elderly (aged ≥65 years), concomitant with increased influenza activity and the predominance of A(H3N2) viruses, has been observed in recent weeks in Belgium, France, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom (England, Scotland and Wales).
USA are experiencing a peak in influenza activity, with the influenza A(H3N2) viruses being the most recurrent strain so far this season. A(H3N2) viruses are predominating also in Europe and in both cases they exhibit antigenic differences to the virus included in the 2014–2015 northern hemisphere influenza vaccine.
