According to the Ministry of Health (MOH), a national campaign against seasonal flu was launched on October 14th, 2018. It called on all community members to take the initiative to get influenza vaccine at hospitals, primary care centers and shopping malls, indicating that the flu vaccine reduces the odds of getting the flu by about 60% and the likelihood of flu-associated hospitalization by 80%.
It is worth mentioning that the vaccine is given to prevent influenza and its complications, at the onset of winter. The most vulnerable groups are: children under the age of 5 years, pregnant women and diabetes, asthma, cardiac and liver patients. Such awareness-raising activities come in continuation of MOH's efforts to maintain the health and safety of all community members, to promote health awareness, to refute rumors and allegations about safety of vaccines, to increase coverage rate and to urge individuals to adopt healthy behaviors and healthy lifestyles.