As many as 160,000 persons who form part of groups facing an increased risk of infection will be immunized against flu. They include the medical workers, customs employees, children from boarding schools and elderly people form asylums, IPN reports, quoting a communiqué of the National Health Insurance Company.

The consignment of anti-flu vaccines costs 8 million lei and is to be purchased as a result of a public tender contest that will be held on October 7. Afterward, it will be delivered to the National Health Insurance Company by the end of this month.

The persons who do not form part of risk groups, but want to be vaccinated, can do it at immunization centers in Chisinau and in the country. The price of a vaccine against flu is 250 lei. The vaccines will be bought in the near future from abroad, representatives of immunization centers have told IPN.

Contacted by IPN, vice director on science matters of the National Public Health Center Constantin Spinu said the anti-flu vaccine is administered once a year, in the pre-season period, and protects the human body in 80-85% of the cases.

The antigenic composition of the vaccine must correspond to that recommended by the World Health Organization for 2013-2014 Northern Hemisphere influenza season.