Doha: The annual influenza vaccination campaign is the primordial tool for preventing seasonal influenza in Qatar, and it will be contributing to the safety of people during FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 which will be held during winter when most respiratory viruses peak, according to a study.
Moreover, the reformulation of vaccines every year also contributes to the control of the disease as the influenza viruses mutate constantly, it added.
'Seasonal influenza disease and annual influenza vaccine coverage at Primary Health Care Corporation, Qatar, 2018–2019: a descriptive study’ was published on QScience portal recently.
Influenza is the most common communicable disease in Qatar and the study describes the occurrence of seasonal influenza and influenza vaccine uptake, as well as analyse the efficacy of the vaccine during the 2018/2019 season.
A total of 998 influenza-like illness (ILI) cases were considered for the study. A total of 42,476 individuals were vaccinated with the annual influenza vaccine in PHCC for the 2018/2019 season. The vaccine was administered to 52.3% of people with any one risk factor (mostly chronic diseases) for severe disease due to influenza.
The study reveals that some 87% of the total influenza cases were not vaccinated with the season’s vaccine, and 69% of the total vaccinated ILI cases were tested negative for influenza.
Seasonal influenza is an acute respiratory infection caused by four types of influenza viruses such as type A, B, C, and D; type A and B viruses circulate in every part of the world and cause annual epidemics.
The study has highlighted that prevalence of seasonal influenza and the prevention by vaccination in Qatar is similar to other countries in the region.
“Qatar is equipping itself for the football World Cup of 2022, which will be held during winter (November and December), when most respiratory viruses, in particular influenza viruses, peak. The annual influenza vaccination campaign is the primordial tool for preventing the disease burden all over the world, particularly in the EMR including Qatar, as this region lies on several migratory bird flyways and is at risk of the emergence of new influenza viruses,” the study indicated.
In Qatar, seasonal outbreaks of influenza and other ILI occur during the winter season, between November and April. The seasonal influenza vaccination policy in Qatar recommends annual influenza vaccine to all individuals above six months of age, with greater emphasis on high-risk groups.
Health officials have repeatedly said that annual seasonal flu vaccine is the best and safest way to reduce the chances catching the flu and potentially spreading it to other. Every flu season is different, and influenza infection can affect people differently, but across the world millions of people get the flu every year, hundreds of thousands of people are hospitalized and thousands or tens of thousands of people die from flu-related causes every year.
