Millions of flu shots prepared for vulnerable groups in Thailand

BANGKOK, May 15 (TNA) - The Ministry of Public Health has prepared 3.55 million doses of flu vaccines against three main viral strains for people of vulnerable groups in Thailand. According to Permanent Secretary for Public Health Paijit Warachit, this year his ministry has a policy on providing vaccinations to most people in all vulnerable groups in the country and has, therefore, purchased up to 3.55 million doses of the flu vaccines against the influenza A (H1N1) virus, the influenza A (H3N2) virus and the influenza B virus for them, comprising medical personnel, those involving in poultry slaughters and general public in other six groups also considered being at risk, with the vaccination period set from June 1-September 30, 2012 at government-run hospitals and others participating in the project. Disease Control Department Director General Pornthep Sirivanarangsan, meanwhile, acknowledged that 70 per cent of vaccinated medical staff in Thailand were less likely to contract flu and mortality rates among flu patients had remarkably dropped, citing the Bureau of Epidemiology's figures which showed that there had been no reports on flu fatalities since early this year, compared to 8 out of 56,766 flu patients in 2011, 126 out of 115,183 patients in 2010 and 231 out of some 120,400 patients in 2009. (TNA)