The vaccination campaign against 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) and its continued importance in view of the uncertainty surrounding the risk associated with the pandemic.

To the editor: Low rates of vaccine uptake have been observed during the national immunisation campaign against the 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) in Greece. Data from the national influenza A(H1N1) immunisation programme that started on 16 November 2009 in Greece reveal that as of 8 January 2010 approximately 360,000 persons have been vaccinated (3.2% of the population). Of these approximately 8% were aged 65 and older. A significant part of the population of high risk individuals has not been vaccinated yet. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the population (approximately 80%) does not intend to get vaccinated against the pandemic influenza, largely due to perceived safety concerns regarding the vaccine [1,2]. We comment on the current risk assessment of the evolution of the pandemic over the next few months and the potential benefits of improving the vaccination coverage.