Pharmacists will be able to administer the flu vaccine this autumn, alongside general practitioners, the office of Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke stated on Friday morning.
The aim will be to increase vaccination coverage which is still too low in Belgium, particularly for certain at-risk groups. Pharmacists have already been involved in the Covid-19 vaccination campaign in the winter of 2022. At that time, it was also possible to go to your pharmacist and be vaccinated against influenza, without a prescription from a GP.
For winter 2023, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) are recommending combining a booster for the Covid-19 vaccine with vaccination against influenza.
The Conseil Supérieur de la Santé (CSS) and the Conférence Interministérielle Santé Publique (CIM) will now follow this recommendation. From October 1 to December 31, Belgians can be vaccinated against influenza as well as Covid-19 at pharmacies that are equipped and have undergone training for this purpose.
"In 11 European countries around us, including France and Germany, vaccination against influenza by pharmacists has been authorised for a long time. We find that vaccination coverage is higher in these countries, precisely because pharmacists have a lot of contact with the population," Frank Vandenbroucke points out.
The role of pharmacists as primary healthcare providers had already been strengthened earlier this year, through support for chronic patients in monitoring their treatment or combating the excessive use of drugs such as sleeping pills.
