Why Few in Saxony Get a Flu Jab: MDR Asks in Leipzig

MDR, the regional public broadcaster for Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, has asked why so few people in Saxony get vaccinated against flu, and it went to Leipzig to look for answers. According to MDR, Saxony is in the middle of its flu season, yet fewer than one in three people in the state take up the flu jab.

What happened

The report, titled “Woher kommt die Impfmüdigkeit in Sachsen?” (roughly, “Where does vaccine fatigue in Saxony come from?”), is a short video on the MDR website. It was part of the news programme MDR Sachsenspiegel of 12 November, which is the regional evening bulletin for Saxony.

MDR’s own summary makes two points. First, Saxony is currently in the Grippezeit, the flu season. Second, not even every third person in Saxony uses the Grippeschutzimpfung, the flu vaccination. The broadcaster says its team tried to find out the reasons for this in Leipzig.

The page I was given contains only this short description and not the full video. It does not set out what people in Leipzig actually said, and it does not give the exact vaccination rate, a comparison with other German states or the names of any experts. This explainer therefore sticks to what MDR states in its summary.

The word Impfmüdigkeit in the headline means “vaccine fatigue” or reluctance to get vaccinated. It describes people who are not necessarily opposed to vaccines but do not get round to having them, or no longer see the need.

What it means for you

The main message for residents is one of timing. MDR says the flu season is already under way in Saxony, so this is the period the report is about. If you live in Leipzig and have not had a flu jab, the report is a prompt to think about it now rather than later.

The source does not say who should be vaccinated, where to go, what it costs or whether health insurance covers it. It also names no Leipzig clinics, surgeries or health offices. Please do not treat this article as medical advice. Practical steps that follow from the report, without adding facts the source does not give, are these:

• Check your own status. If you are unsure whether you have had a flu vaccination this season, look at your vaccination record or ask your doctor.
• Ask your Hausarzt. A Hausarzt is a general practitioner, usually the first contact for vaccinations in Germany. Ask whether the flu jab is recommended for you and whether your insurance covers the cost.
• Check with your insurer. If you are new to the German system and unsure how your Krankenkasse (statutory health insurer) handles vaccinations, ask them directly.
• Watch the video yourself. If your German is good enough, the full report may contain Leipzig voices and reasons that the written summary leaves out.

For international residents, it is worth knowing that the low take-up MDR describes is a local pattern across the whole of Saxony. It is not a sign that vaccines are hard to get for newcomers. The source does not say that, and it does not say the opposite either.

What to watch next

The source does not announce any follow-up, new campaign or official figures. The one thing to look for is the full video, which MDR has published in its Mediathek, the online archive of its programmes. The MDR Sachsenspiegel bulletins around the same date also cover other Saxony stories, so the flu report is easy to find within the 12 November edition.

If MDR or the Saxon health authorities publish more detail on why vaccination rates are low, we will update this explainer. Until then, the clearest takeaway is simple: the season has started, and fewer than one in three people in Saxony are getting the jab.

Source: MDR