Public Health calls on the vulnerable to get vaccinated against influenza

 As influenza is a stationary infection that can increase as lower temperatures are registered, the Minister of Public Health called on vulnerable people to go for vaccination before December enters, which is the country’s winter season.

Dr. Daniel Rivera recalled that it is free, and the country has enough doses to vaccinate groups considered at risk.

He pointed out that the vaccine is available in the different vaccination posts enabled for these purposes at the national level, especially in pediatric and maternal hospitals and throughout the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) network.

“It is a free vaccine. It is good now that people take the opportunity to get vaccinated before December arrives, which usually drops the temperature a little more,” said Rivera, interviewed by Listín Diario. He recalled that there is currently a circulation of other flu viruses that can be confused with influenza.

It affects children and adults.
Influenza is a respiratory viral disease, very easy to spread that affects children and adults. Currently, public and private health centers report an increasing number of patients with respiratory infections who come for medical help.

The country has 450 thousand doses of the influenza vaccine aimed at people over 65 years of age, those with diseases that affect their immune system, children from six to 23 months, and pregnant women.

The PAI has established fixed immunization posts in different parts of the country, including first-level centers, Primary Care Units, and hospitals, including Santo Socorro respiratory diseases in the National District, with two exclusive posts available to apply flu vaccine, one for children and one for adults.

Covid schools
Regarding the incidence of Covid-19 in schools, Dr. Rivera assured that the virus among students remains low, currently settling at 1.2% the contagion of the virus at the school level, while at the level of the general population hovers between eight and nine percent.

He said the schools are open enclosures, typically not air-conditioned, which slows the spread and that vaccination in children over 12 is keeping pace.

Definition
Influenza is a common viral infection that can be fatal, especially in high-risk groups.

It affects the lungs, nose, and throat. Young children, older adults, pregnant women, and people with chronic diseases or a weak immune system are most at risk.