Strong wound has accepted the confidence of the Greeks in vaccineswith the percentage of Greeks who agree with the compulsory vaccination of children has decreased to 68% compared to 80% before covid pandemic, said Kyriakos Souliotis, professor of Public Health at the University of Peloponnese, in his speech at the 9th Delphi Economic Forum.

It is known that 67% of those who do not trust vaccines raise concerns about their safety and effectiveness. Also, 80% state that they know they should get the flu shot, but only 48% state that they have been vaccinated.

In fact, “2 out of 3 Greeks ask for more campaigns, but also for their doctor or pharmacist to spend more time talking to them about the value of vaccines” added Mr. Souliotis, stressing that there is a huge information gap regarding compliance. He finally pointed out the need for the competent committee of the Ministry of Health to deal more with scientific data than with economics, which are the subject of two other committees.

“Misinformation is a global problem,” said Aris Aggelis, general secretary of Strategic Planning at the Ministry of Health, taking the floor, noting that the minister has already submitted a request to the OECD for the country’s support in this field. Referring at the same time to the issue of the overlapping of the three committees that deal with vaccines, he emphasized that a better sequence is needed for how information flows between them and clarification of the responsibilities that each one has. “We are open to reassessing the vaccines we have and providing additional funding,” Mr. Aggelis added, pointing out that discussions at the European Commission (HERA) level for joint supplies are at an advanced stage.

Where would we be today if there were no vaccines against Covid and joint supplies through the European Union, asked the MEP of the ND and the European People’s Party, Stelios Kymbouropoulos, taking the floor. As he found, what is missing is that “there have not been many discussions like today, with the participation of the state, technocrats, scientists and patients, to finally see how many lives were saved” through this process.

“At the moment, 30,000 cases are recorded in Europe measleswhile concern also exists for him whooping cough, as well as for other diseases that had disappeared thanks to the universal vaccination of the population” said Nikolaos Sypsas, Professor of Infectious Diseases at the School of Medicine of the Greek University of Athens, pointing out that doctors should keep this in mind and inform all their patients to be vaccinated . “The superstition and ignorance that plague the human race came to the surface with the pandemic,” he added, praising the attitude of some doctors and clergy, as well as the populism of some politicians, which shook the world’s trust in science. Vaccines are the best investment in public health, Mr. Sypsas concluded, stressing that “for every 1 euro that the policy invests in vaccines, it will immediately get back 3 euros from hospitalizations that will be avoided, and 10 euros from indirect social costs” saving billions over time.

“There is an outbreak of epidemics, because the information has not reached where it is needed in the right way,” said Giorgos Kalamitsis, a member of the administration of the Hellenic Patients’ Association, underlining that the impact that vaccines have left on public health is recognized and evident. “Those affected by fake news are the most vulnerable,” he added, stressing that decision-makers do not need to reinvent the wheel, but simply follow the lessons from the Covid era regarding coordinated awareness campaigns. of the public around vaccination.

“Vaccines are not a cost but an investment,” said Antonino Biroccio, BoD President & General Manager, GSK Greece, taking the floor. As he mentioned, more than 50% of Europeans will be over 50 years old by 2025. “This means that people who are at their most productive age must be protected,” he underlined. In Greece you are lucky, because the costs for vaccination are separate from the costs for medicines. The problem is that they haven’t been evaluated, Mr. Biroccio said, noting that more than 100 formulations are on the way. “There needs to be an increase in funding so that the diseases that threaten humanity can be treated,” he concluded.