Changing the Conversation on Adult Influenza Vaccination: Japan

At a national level, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) leads the annual influenza campaign to oversee and guide local governments and healthcare institutions to implement actions to promote public awareness of influenza vaccination.  A series of campaign tools are prepared to convey messages about influenza vaccination to the general public as well as targeted messages to older adults.  These tools include web pages, leaflets, videos, public symposiums and a consultation hotline.

In general, civil society has not yet become a strong voice helping to shape and influence the public communication and awareness of the critical importance of adult vaccination.  There is also a measurable lack of messages from patient and ageing organizations targeted to their members and constituents, those who are most at-risk of serious complications, hospitalization and death.

With respect to the content of current messages, there is a significant (and uneven) emphasis on preventive measures such as cough etiquette, hand washing and mask wearing at the expense of the most effective intervention, i.e. vaccination.  Prioritizing the influenza vaccination in the Japanese awareness campaign is highly recommended considering the suboptimal influenza vaccination national coverage.

Japanese translation of the report and infographic available below.