Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has announced the launch of the National Seasonal Influenza Vaccination and Awareness Campaign on Wednesday, September 17, in cooperation with Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), and public, semi-government, and private healthcare facilities.
The campaign aims to enhance community protection and reduce influenza-related health complications. It forms part of the Ministry’s efforts to raise public awareness of the importance of influenza vaccination, particularly in winter. This season usually witnesses a rise in infection rates. The campaign also seeks to correct misconceptions about influenza and highlight its risks, especially for those most vulnerable to health complications.
The MoPH stressed that the influenza virus undergoes ongoing mutations from one year to another, which makes annual vaccination necessary to ensure adequate protection. It emphasised that influenza is not merely a simple cold, but may lead to serious complications such as pneumonia, exacerbation of chronic diseases, and in some cases, it may even result in death or permanent disability.
The campaign targets explicitly the groups most at risk, particularly individuals with chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma, heart and lung conditions, kidney disease, and those with weakened immunity, in addition to senior citizens over the age of sixty, children aged between six months and five years, pregnant women, and healthcare workers.
The MoPH has urged citizens and residents, especially those belonging to the groups mentioned above, to take the seasonal influenza vaccine as early as possible. The Ministry also encourages all community members to get vaccinated, given its key role in safeguarding public health and limiting the spread of infection.
The influenza vaccine is available free of charge at all PHCC Centres, as well as at healthcare facilities affiliated with the Ministries of Interior and Defence, QatarEnergy, all private hospitals, and more than fifty private healthcare facilities across the State of Qatar.
As part of its commitment to ensuring a healthy and safe working environment, the MoPH is also organising an internal vaccination campaign for its employees on Wednesday and Thursday, September 24 and 25.
