Filenews 30 September 2024 - by Marilena Panayi
The procedures for this year's flu vaccination are going deep. The Health Insurance Organisation notified today to all personal doctors of the GHS, adults and children, a circular of the Ministry of Health inviting them to proceed with the compilation of the list of their beneficiaries who belong to vulnerable groups and are entitled to free vaccination.
According to the doctors' briefing, the vaccines will begin to be distributed in their doctors' offices, most likely from October 7 onwards, and then weekly distributions will take place during November.
To this end, doctors must proceed with the electronic submission of their orders using specific codes that will be given to them.
Citizens, for their part, must give their doctors time to draw up the necessary list of vaccination beneficiaries and inform them about it afterwards.
It is reminded that the Ministry of Health for this year has ordered 145,000 vaccines against influenza in order to meet the needs of people who either due to health or other factors need vaccination.
According to the relevant circular of the Ministry of Health, "priority is given to vulnerable groups and groups of increased risk and especially to people over 60 years old". Therefore, "all health professionals and especially personal doctors of adults and children are invited to inform their beneficiaries in a timely manner about the need for vaccination against influenza and to proceed with vaccination." Doctors are also urged to urge "people who belong to high-risk groups or care for people in this category to get vaccinated."
The list of beneficiaries of flu vaccination donations is also shared with doctors. This includes:
– Adults older than 60 years
– Children > 6 months – 17 years old and other adults, presenting one or more
of the following aggravating factors or chronic diseases:
• Asthma or other chronic lung diseases
• Heart disease with severe hemodynamic disorders
• Immunosuppression (hereditary or acquired due to disease or immunosuppressive /
immunomodulatory therapy)
•Transplantation
• Sickle cell disease (and other serious haemoglobinopathies)
• Diabetes mellitus or other chronic metabolic disease
• Morbid Obesity (metabolic syndrome) with Body Mass Index
(BMI)>40 kg/m2
• Chronic kidney disease and liver disease
• Neuromuscular or Neurological diseases3
Also, pregnant women regardless of gestational age, women who have recently given birth and breastfeeding women have the right to be vaccinated
Finally, beneficiaries are children and adults who take aspirin long-term (e.g. Kawasaki disease, rheumatoid arthritis and others), for the possible risk of developing Reye's syndrome after influenza
In addition, and for precautionary reasons, the following are invited to be vaccinated:
- People who are in close contact with children <6 months of age or care for people with an underlying illness who are at increased risk of complications from influenza.
- Children > 6 months – 17 years old
- Closed populations (staff and internal students of schools, military and police schools, inmates and staff of institutions, recruits in the forces, etc.).
- Conscripts in enlistment centres, especially those enlisted during the winter months Health service workers (medical, nursing and other workers)
- Professionals, such as veterinarians, poultry farmers, pig farmers, slaughterers and generally people who come into systematic contact with poultry.
The Ministry of Health will operate again this year vaccination centres for people who wish to receive the flu and anti-covid vaccines together. Details of the vaccination program of the Ministry of Health will be announced in the coming days.
