Demand for flu vaccines increases sharply

Speaking to Lao Dong reporter, Mr. Khong Minh Tuan - Deputy Director of Hanoi Center for Disease Control (CDC) - said: The demand for flu vaccination has increased sharply in recent days, vaccination points are all crowded, some vaccination points have doubled or tripled.

According to the Deputy Director of the Hanoi CDC, "Nobody pays attention on normal days and doesn't get vaccinated. When the epidemic starts, many people rush to get vaccinated. It may be slow and late in preventing the epidemic."

He emphasized that people need to proactively get vaccinated "regularly, on schedule, before the season when there is a risk of an epidemic, and get vaccinated in advance of the epidemic season." Because, "normally, vaccines cannot be effective immediately after injection. All types of vaccines have antibodies after at least 1 week, after 2 weeks the antibodies increase, reaching maximum disease prevention ability after 1 month."

Therefore, early vaccination, before the disease has the risk of spreading, is an important measure to protect public health.

According to the reporter at FPT Long Chau vaccination center, the demand for influenza and pneumococcal vaccination has doubled in the past 1-2 months. This is due to changes in weather and increased public awareness of the importance of proactive disease prevention in the face of widespread epidemic information.

Influenza vaccination is the most effective way to prevent influenza and its dangerous complications. The World Health Organization reports that influenza vaccination reduces influenza mortality by 70-80% and has a protective effect of 80-90%.

For patients with chronic diseases alone, vaccination can reduce hospitalization and death rates in cardiovascular patients by 35%, reduce death rates in diabetic patients by 58%, and reduce death rates in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by 70%.

Dr. Le Thanh Khoi - Head of the Medical Council, FPT Long Chau Pharmacy System and Vaccination Center - said: Flu causes more severe symptoms than the common cold and can lead to serious complications such as pneumonia.

“To protect personal health, especially for high-risk groups such as children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with underlying diseases, proactively getting vaccinated against influenza is very important and should be done as soon as possible,” Dr. Khoi emphasized.

Typically, flu symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, runny nose, sore throat, cough, and recovery within 2-7 days. However, the disease can become severe and fatal when the virus invades organs causing pneumonia, myocarditis, encephalitis, and sepsis. Groups such as people aged 65 and over, pregnant women, young children, and people with underlying diseases such as cardiovascular disease, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, kidney failure, diabetes, etc. are at higher risk of becoming more severe.

Meanwhile, data from the VNVC Vaccination System shows that the number of people proactively getting flu shots has increased by nearly 200% compared to normal days. In particular, the group of adults and the elderly accounts for nearly 50%.

Sharing with Lao Dong reporter, representative of Safpo/Potec vaccination system, although the flu epidemic is on the rise, many cases have serious complications, but in the system, the flu vaccination rate of people is still stable, without any strong fluctuations.

People at risk of severe complications from the flu include people aged 65 and over, pregnant women, young children, and people with underlying medical conditions such as heart disease, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, kidney failure, and diabetes. One of the most dangerous complications of the flu is pneumonia.

People who have been vaccinated against influenza have a 26% lower risk of being admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and a 31% lower risk of dying from influenza than those who have not been vaccinated, according to a representative of the Safpo/Potec vaccination system.

In the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions, the vaccine can reduce influenza-related deaths by 70-80%. In particular, the flu vaccine also helps pregnant women reduce the risk of stillbirth by 51% and reduce the risk of hospitalization for infants under 6 months of age by 72%.

Currently, Vietnam has two new generation quadrivalent influenza vaccines, which prevent four common influenza virus strains: influenza A/H1N1, A/H3N2, B/Yamagata and B/Victoria, for both children from 6 months old and adults. This vaccine is up to 90% effective in preventing the disease, while also helping to prevent complications such as otitis media, sinusitis, pneumonia, myocarditis and respiratory failure.