PHCC launches flu vaccine campaign

The Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) yesterday announced the launch of a seasonal flu vaccine campaign in all primary healthcare centres and PHCC headquarters as part of policies to develop the health of Qatar’s residents, providing the best prevention against infectious diseases.The PHCC is targeting in this year’s flu campaign all health workers in the medical field, according to the recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO), in addition to people who have health conditions including asthma.The campaign also aims to include people with regular and advanced neurological conditions such as disorders of the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves and muscles such as cerebral palsy and epilepsy and different disorders, as well as brain strokes, mental disabilities and people suffering from severe and moderate growth retardation, muscular dystrophy or spinal cord injury.PHCC also emphasised the need to vaccinate people with chronic lung disease (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cystic fibrosis) and people who suffer from heart disease (such as congenital heart disease, congestive heart failure and coronary artery disease), blood disorders (sickle cell disease) and endocrine disorders (such as diabetes), kidney disorders, liver disorders and metabolic disorders (such as inherited metabolic disorders and mitochondrial disorders) and a weakened immune system due to disease or treatment (such as people with HIV, cancer or chronic steroid abusers) and those under 19 years of age and those who receive long-term aspirin therapy, and people who are obese.