The government is to provide hepatitis A vaccines to infants starting next year, with about 200,000 children to benefit each year, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.
Starting next month, hepatitis A vaccinations would be listed as a conventional vaccine for infants born on or after Jan. 1 this year and who are at least 12 months old, the agency said.
Infants should receive two doses of the vaccine at least six months apart, the agency said, adding that children born last year or earlier who have received one shot of the vaccine can receive a second shot before they enter elementary school.
CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said the funding for the policy would be provided by the Paujar Charity Foundation and would be donated in yearly batches from next year to 2028, helping the government provide better protection for infants older than 12 months.
Hepatitis A is usually contracted from contaminated food and water or direct exposure to people who are infected, he said.
As the vaccine is inactivated, it can be received at the same time as other inactivated vaccines, Lo said, adding that parents should carry their child’s immunization handbook when going for shots.
Separately, the agency said the number of flu-like illness cases increased 16 percent last week, with a total of 77,444 cases reported nationwide and 14 cases of serious flu complications confirmed.
CDC physician Huang Wan-ting (黃婉婷) said that of the 14 cases of serious flu complications, 12 patients did not receive the flu vaccine this season, including a five-year-old girl who has a history of chronic disease.
Five deaths caused by flu complications were confirmed last week, Huang said, adding that in each case, the patient was not vaccinated and had a history of chronic disease.
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