The
Ministry of Public Health, in co-operation with the Primary Health Care
Corporation and Hamad Medical Corporation, continues to implement a
national campaign to raise awareness about vaccination against seasonal
influenza. The vaccination campaign started in a number of universities
and public and private institutions with the provision of the
vaccination for all citizens and residents in the health centers.
During
the campaign, employees of the Ministry of Public Health and health
workers are also vaccinated at Primary Health Care Corporation, Hamad
Medical Corporation, Qatar Petroleum and Qatar Red Crescent.
The
campaign comes as part of the Ministry of Public Health’s efforts to
improve the health of Qatar’s population and provide them with the best
means of preventing infectious diseases. The campaign aims to raise
public awareness of the importance of vaccination against seasonal
influenza in conjunction with the onset of winter, and seek to change
their pattern of knowledge about the risks of influenza complications.
The
Ministry of Public Health, represented by the department of health
protection and the control of transitional diseases, seeks to increase
vaccination coverage rates, and will work and co-ordinate with all
relevant authorities in the state in order to achieve this goal.
In
this context, the ministry called on all citizens and residents to get
the seasonal influenza vaccine, to protect them from the complications
of seasonal influenza.
The most recommended groups are those with
chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma, heart and lung disease,
kidney failure patients, people with anemia, elderly people (over the
age of 60), children between the ages of six months and five years,
pregnant women, and health workers.