Filenews 29 September 2021 - by Marilena Panagi
In the final stage of preparation are a Health Insurance Organization and personal doctors, adults and children and it is expected that in the first ten days of October will begin the vaccinations for influenza of all GHS beneficiaries belonging to the population groups that are entitled to free vaccination, in the clinics of their doctors.
For this year, the Ministry of Health has ordered a total of 170,000 flu vaccines of which 50,000 will concern children and infants from six months to three years old and the remaining 120,000 older children, up to 15 years old and people over 65 years old, as well as people of younger ages who belong to the vulnerable groups of the population and are required to be vaccinated with the flu vaccine (in 2020, a total of 155,000 vaccines had been received by the health ministry.
Yesterday, the Cyprus Paediatric Society in its announcement stressed the need for vaccination of all children with the flu vaccine. Specifically, the scientific society of paediatricians said that it "considers it absolutely imperative that all children between the ages of 6 months and 15 years be vaccinated with the vaccine against seasonal influenza 2021-22", adding that it "agrees with the relevant decision of the Ministry of Health to include all children of this age spectrum in the people recommended to be vaccinated with this vaccine".
"The peculiar and unpredictable conditions prevailing with the continued presence of the Covid-19 pandemic make vaccination against influenza absolutely necessary for the child population," stresses the Cyprus Paediatric Society", adding that "knowing that children are an important source of transmission of the influenza virus to vulnerable groups and they themselves are affected by it, they should be protected."
Finally, as the Paediatric Society points out, "the recent occurrence of an outbreak and the uncontrolled spread of these two infections in the coming winter create the risk of comorbidity and may put to the test the preparedness and ability of the health system to deal with serious cases".
