Share of individuals aged 4 vaccinated in Italy 2022, by antigen

The vaccination coverage among four-year-old children, born in 2018 in Italy, varied greatly according to the type of antigen. According to the data, in 2022, the share of children vaccinated against measles, tetanus, polio, diphtheria, pertussis, parotitis, and hepatitis B reached 95.3 percent. Those vaccinations are all mandatory for children and teenagers below 16 years of age. Since 2017, vaccination against varicella (chickenpox) in Italy has also been included among mandatory vaccinations. Indeed in 2022, only 50.4 percent of children aged eight years were vaccinated against varicella, against 93.3 percent of the four-year-old ones.

Tetanus vaccine

The number of tetanus cases has dramatically decreased worldwide since 1980. In 2020, just one case of tetanus has been reported in Europe. This result has been achieved through the vaccine, which is highly effective in preventing this infection. In Italy the coverage rate of the tetanus vaccine among children up to two years old was equal to roughly 95 percent across Italy, with all regions, except for Sicily and the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, having coverage above 91 percent.

Seasonal flu vaccination

Children aged 5-8 years were among the young individuals with the highest flu vaccination rates in Italy during the flu season 2022-2023. This percentage varied greatly by age and across all ages was the highest among individuals aged 65 years and older, with a rate of 56.7 percent. Children and elderly people are among those recommended by the Italian Ministry of Health to get vaccinated against seasonal flu, due to a higher risk of flu-related complications.