The impact on vaccination coverage following introduction of a routine pneumococcal vaccination programme for the elderly in Japan

In October 2014, a routine pneumococcal vaccination programme in the elderly aged 65-100 years old was initiated in Japan. Currently, this programme is within a transitional period. Eligibility for subsidy under the programme is granted for target ages in 5-year increments, over a 5-year roll-out period. We assessed the impact of the routine vaccination programme on vaccination coverage and explored the factors relating to pneumococcal vaccine uptake. We conducted a cross-sectional web-based survey in 2015 for respondents aged 65-79 years. A total of 3889 respondents answered the survey. The vaccination coverage in this study was estimated as 33.5%. Of the total respondents, 3327 were not vaccinated at initiation of the routine vaccination programme. The uptake of vaccination after implementation of the programme among them was 22.3%. There was a significant relationship between vaccination and eligibility for subsidy under the routine vaccination programme (adjusted odds ratio: 16.7). While there are some limitations to this study, introduction of the routine vaccination programme might affect pneumococcal vaccination coverage in the elderly.