Health at a Glance: Europe 2020
State of Health in the EU Cycle
The 2020 edition of Health at a Glance: Europe focuses on the impact of the COVID‑19 crisis. Chapter 1 provides an initial assessment of the resilience of European health systems to the COVID-19 pandemic and their ability to contain and respond to the worst pandemic in the past century. Chapter 2 reviews the huge health and welfare burden of air pollution as another major public health issue in European countries, and highlights the need for sustained efforts to reduce air pollution to mitigate its impact on health and mortality. The five other chapters provide an overview of key indicators of health and health systems across the 27 EU member states, 5 EU candidate countries, 3 European Free Trade Association countries and the United Kingdom. Health at a Glance: Europe is the first step in the State of Health in the EU cycle.
Vaccination against influenza among people aged 65 and over
Depending on the year, seasonal influenza affects between 4 and 50 million people across EU countries, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, and 15 000 to 70 000 people die every year of causes associated with influenza (ECDC, 2020). Older people are at higher risk of serious complications and death from influenza. With the new coronavirus, older people will face an increased risk of viral infection during the 2020/21 winter season. Although influenza vaccination is never fully effective in preventing all influenza viruses that may spread in a given year, it does offer protection and can effectively reduce the burden of seasonal influenza.