As of recently, the weather temperature has been dropping and the public should get their flu vaccinations. The best way to prevent the flu is to get a flu vaccination. Since the flu vaccination was released on October 1st in Yunlin this year, roughly 160,234 adults and 6,098 children have been inoculated. Parents and children whom have yet to get vaccinated should take this opportunity and visit clinics or other medical institutions to receive their free vaccinations as soon as possible.
The Yunlin Health Department has noted with the change in weather recently, the public needs to protect themselves against the epidemic of influenza, especially for families with young children in their homes. Children are most at risk. Regardless of how thorough kids wash their hands, or how well isolation preventative measures are taken, as long as one child in class has been affected by the virus, the virus can be spread through physical contact, use of public facilities (faucets, doorknobs, desks and chairs). All flu pandemics in the past have all started with children; as soon as the children in the family catches a cold, the epidemic waves of adults typically appear two weeks later. It takes about 2-3 weeks for the anti-body to develop after the flu vaccines is administered. The sooner the vaccination is received, the sooner you’ll be protected.
The following groups are recommended to receive their influenza vaccinations: (1) Adults over 50 years of age (2) Nursing agency personnel (3) critical and ill patients (4) children age 6 months to pre-school (5) first year of primary school (6) medical and epidemic prevention personnel (7) poultry breeding and related workers (8) pregnant women (9) parents of infants under 6 months old (10) nursing staff of kindergarten and nursing professionals (11) high-risk chronic patients (12) those with BMI levels above 30.
The Department of Health wants to remind people who meet the above criteria to bring their ID cards or Health IC cards (proof of rare diseases or patients with major injuries) to the medical institutions or clinics for vaccinations. The list of medical institutions can be found on the Department of Health’s website (http://www.ylshb.gov.tw), or contact your local health office or call the Health Bureau at (05-5373488 Ext:241 – Miss Ng).