Influenza vaccination programme launched

GEORGETOWN (CMC)

The Ministry of Health on Friday launched the 2025 Influenza Vaccine. According to the ministry, a total of 15,000 doses are available – with pregnant women, children, the elderly, people with chronic non-communicable diseases and healthcare workers among those being targeted to receive flu shot due to their vulnerability.

The first shot was administered to several health officials including Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony, who said the Influenza Vaccination Programme augurs well for the country in the fight to combat the flu virus.

“Today is indeed a historic day for our country. For the first time in Guyana’s history, we are launching a national influenza vaccination programme. This moment marks a major step forward in strengthening our healthcare system, protecting our most vulnerable and aligning Guyana with the global best practices in disease prevention,” Anthony said.

Globally, the flu affects one billion people annually, with approximately three to five million people developing severe respiratory illnesses.

Data coming out of the World Health Organization (WHO) also indicate that between 290,000 and 650,000 people die annually as a result of the acute viral respiratory disease.

The world has witnessed the devastating impact of influenza and in the year 1918, there was influenza pandemic, you know like how we had COVID-19 pandemic and you saw how many people, and how many countries were affected, back then in 1918 with the influenza pandemic we had 50 million people dying from this virus. That’s more people dying from this virus than the people who died in World War I. So, sometimes these things while we treat them in a very harmless way, they can have a severe impact, and some of you might be more acquainted with H1N1, that occurred in 2009, but what this is telling us is that influenza can be very, very dangerous,” the health minister said.

He said though pandemics don’t occur annually, there have been periodic spikes, with a few deaths recorded.

The vaccine, Anthony said, will therefore help to combat the virus, emphasising that it is safe, and will protect people from the flu.

“It will not give you flu, but rather it will protect you and your loved ones. These vaccines have been proven to save lives, and that is what we want people to understand. The launch of the influenza vaccination is not just about preventing diseases today. You, we have all had that recent experience of COVID, and it is not a matter of if we are going to have another pandemic; it is when we will have another pandemic, and so, if we want to be more prepared for future pandemics, then doing things like this is very important,” the health minister reasoned.

Anthony said every year the virus changes its composition, and it is therefore important for people to receive the influenza shot annually.

PAHO’s Health Systems and Services advisor, Dr Garoma Denbeli, said influenza is preventable though highly contagious and could affect vulnerable groups.

He said the move by Guyana to launch the seasonable influenza vaccine is commendable, adding that vaccination remains the most preventable measure to fight off the virus.

“So, the annual influenza vaccination that we launch today protects not only individuals, but also contributes to the health and safety of the entire community. Healthcare workers play a vital role in preventing transmission,” Denbeli said.

He said PAHO is pleased to have provided support to the Ministry of Health in the roll of out the Influenza Vaccination Programme, which is backed by scientific research and technology, and years of surveillance.

The administration of the vaccine complements the strides made by Guyana in recent years to detect the viruses in circulation through increased surveillance.

Samples of the flu virus in Guyana were used to make the influenza vaccine.