Rabat – Morocco’s Ministry of Health launched on Monday a national influenza (flu) vaccine campaign, targeting people at risk of serious complications.
The campaign, under the slogan “some are more vulnerable to influenza,” seeks to protect pregnant women, people with chronic conditions such as chronic kidney disease, diabetes, heart disease, and chronic lung disease.
The ministry also called on people aged 65 and over and children under five in Morocco to receive the flu vaccine.
The statement also recommends the vaccine for healthcare professionals as it “allows the prevention of transmission of the disease to patients admitted to healthcare facilities.”
Flu vaccines also help health professionals protect themselves and their families.
“The influenza vaccine available this year is a quadrivalent (tetravalent) vaccine. Its composition is adjusted annually, following the recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO),” the ministry said.
The Ministry of Health emphasized the importance of achieving widespread flu vaccination coverage among at-risk people and recalled the need to use hygienic and social distancing measures to prevent contracting both COVID-19 and the flu.
The Ministry of Health said in July that it will supply hospitals across the country with influenza and anti-pneumococcal vaccines next fall as Morocco awaits a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine.
Minister of Health Khalid Ait Taleb stressed “the severity of the seasonal flu for vulnerable populations, in particular the elderly, pregnant women, infants, and people with serious illnesses”
The minister warned that between 250,000 and 650,000 people die from seasonal flu around the world annually.
Three to five million people across the globe contract the flu every year.
In August, three Moroccan medical associations addressed a letter to the Ministry of Education to stress the importance of flu vaccines for students choosing in-person education this year.
Amid COVID-19, supplying hospitals with sufficient stocks of vaccines is among the priorities of the Ministry of Health.
The country continues to report thousands of new cases of COVID-19 every day.
The number of cases reached 222,544, including 3,762 deaths and 184,313 recoveries, on November 1.
The number of active cases stands at 34,469.
