Starting Monday, high-risk individuals and their companions can get their annual influenza vaccination free of charge at local health centres or health stations without prior appointment, the Health Bureau (SSM) announced in a statement yesterday.
According to the statement, the 2024-2025 seasonal influenza vaccination campaign covers local residents aged between six months and under 18 years old, persons aged 50 or above, pregnant and breastfeeding women, those suffering from chronic diseases, obese persons with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or above, persons working in casinos and those in urgent need to travel outside Macau, as well as local and non-local residents who are students and staff of nurseries, kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools, tertiary education institutions, service users and staff of residential care homes, all healthcare workers and other personnel deemed necessary by the bureau to be vaccinated, such as those working in the public sector.
The bureau stated that health care workers have been scheduled to go to nurseries, kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools throughout Macau from next month through December to carry out mass immunisation of students and teaching staff, adding that it will also arrange staff to visit residential care homes for senior citizens and rehabilitation homes, public entities or other organisations with a large number of people for vaccination.
The majority of severe influenza illnesses and deaths in Macau are among elderly people who have not been vaccinated against the flu, particularly those with chronic illnesses, the bureau said, urging all eligible persons, in particular high-risk individuals, to get the new season’s influenza vaccination as early as possible before late November to protect their health, regardless of whether they have received last season’s influenza vaccination or not.
Poster courtesy of Department of Public Health of the City of Philadelphia
