A batch of 200,000 flu shots will arrive in Moldova by the end of the month. The seasonal flu immunization campaign will kick off almost immediately after the shots are distributed across the country, IPN learned from Ștefan Gheorghiță, head of the Influenza & Respiratory Infections at the National Public Health Agency.

The purchased vaccine contains the strains recommended by the World Health Organization in the Nordic hemisphere for the 2019/2020 flu season. Half of the shots are donated by US-based Task Force for Global Health/PIVI, while the National Health Insurance Company covered the other half.

According to Ștefan Gheorghiță, the shots will primarily reach people in at-risk groups, such as people with chronic conditions, the elderly and people with disabilities in residential institutions, health care providers, police officers, the military, and the administrative staff of both central and local governments.

The National Public Health Agency reminds the general public in a press release that immunization against influenza reduces the risk of catching the disease, of developing severe forms and complications including death. The public is also reminded about the importance of personal hygiene in preventing the spread of flu and about the importance of seeing a doctor at the first symptoms.