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Free flu vaccination program begins

A woman and a man receive the free flu vaccine at the Taipei Veterans General Hospital yesterday. PHOTOS: CHIEN JUNG-FONG, TAIPEI TIMES

A free flu vaccination program began yesterday, providing flu shots for groups considered to be at high risk from the influenza virus, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.

Shih Wen-yi (施文儀), a deputy director at the CDC, said that eligible groups -- persons over 65 years of age and children between the age of six months and two years -- could get the vaccines over the next two months.

Shih called for flu shot recipients to remain where they received their shots for at least half an hour to make sure they do not have an allergic reaction to the vaccine.

The free flu shot program is also available to front-line medical professionals, hospital volunteer workers, community pharmacists, medical lab workers, school nurses, international airline crew, quarantine workers, poultry farmers and bird raisers, nursing home residents, people suffering from severe injuries or diseases, as well as first-year and second-year primary school students.

Shih said 2.73 million doses of the flu vaccine were available for adults and 320,000 for children.

Analysis of flu cases between 2000 and last year showed that the incidence of flu turning into serious diseases among children under 12 years of age was four to five times that observed among people aged over 65, while the mortality rate was also three to four times that of the elderly and far higher than other age groups.

People who are not eligible for free vaccination can receive them at major hospitals for approximately NT$580 per dose.
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