Makati City Mayor Abigail Binay has ordered a city-wide anti-influenza vaccination for children and city government employees in a bid to lessen cases of flu among residents.
Binay tapped Makati Health Department officer-in-charge Dr. Bernard Sese to begin with the “quadrivalent” flu vaccine program to public school students from kinder to grade six pupils, which covers four strains of the flu virus.
The mayor said the program aimed to minimize hospitalization and complications which accompany the flu, especially during the rainy season.
“The flu is a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes death. Apart from the physical and financial burden of being sick, children who contract the flu virus are unable to go to school while adults need to be absent from work. This hampers productivity and inconveniences family members and co-workers,” Binay explained.
The vaccination period for public elementary school children has been set for Oct. 3 until Nov. 29, 2017.
MHD teams are being set up to go to designated public elementary schools in the city. On the other hand, all Makati City government employees will also be given free flu vaccines from Oct. 3 to Dec. 15, 2017.
According to Dr. Sese, influenza, commonly known as flu, is a contagious viral infection caused by Influenza A or B virus. The virus affects both the upper and lower respiratory tract such as the nose, throat and sometimes the lungs. It spreads from person to person through the air by coughing, sneezing or talking and by touching a contaminated person’s hands, surface or object.
The MHD chief explains that the virus spreads through large groups of people who are in close contact with others, in settings like the school, office and health care facilities. He stressed that school age children, working adults, and health care providers are vulnerable to the infection.
As of now, improved personal hygiene and an annual flu vaccination are the best protections available. Eating more fruits and vegetables will also boost a person’s immunity against various kinds of infection.
The vaccination period for kinder, grades 2 to 3 has been set for Oct. 3 to 10, 2017 while students from grade 4 to 6 will be on Nov. 6 to 10, 2017. Grade 1 pupils will be vaccinated between Nov. 20 and 29, 2017.
City health department officials said letters of consent will be sent to parents prior to the vaccination schedule. The duly signed consent forms will be checked by school and health department officials. Children and adults who have severe chicken and egg allergies will not be vaccinated.
The quadrivalent flu vaccine is administered through a single intramuscular injection and is given once a year. Children who will be receiving the vaccine for the first time will be given a second dose after four weeks to maximize the vaccine’s effects.
Patients who have been vaccinated may experience mild soreness or redness on the injection site as well as low grade fever.