Authorities propose free flu vaccines for students in 2020

[webfact]

Authorities propose free flu vaccines for students in 2020

By THE NATION

 

File photo

 

HEALTH AUTHORITIES will provide free influenza shots for some 9.6 million children from next year under a Bt1-billion proposal that will soon be submitted to the National Vaccine Committee for approval. The vaccines will cover children from Prathom 1 to Mathayom 6.

 

Dr Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoen, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, said his office has predicted that the country will be hit hard by flu this year. 

 

For the first four months of the year, there have been 152,185 influenza cases – 10 of whom have died, Suwanchai said. During the height of the drought season in January and February, 46,648 people were affected and four died.

 

He added that as many as 200,000 flu patients are expected this year, up from last year’s 185,829 flu patients and 32 deaths.

 

Every year, the department provides influenza vaccines to two groups: those in the medical profession whose work exposes them to the virus; members of a “risky” sub-group that includes small children, pregnant women, elderly persons, obese people and those with chronic ailments. The budget for the first group is provided by the department, while the second group is covered by the National Heath Security Office (NHSO).

 

This year, the NHSO has imported 400,000 vaccines worth Bt400 million, and began providing flu shots from late April, he said.

 

For the 2020 fiscal year, the National Vaccine Institute’s immunisation promotion sub-panel has agreed to include an estimated 9.6 million Prathom 1 to Mathayom 6 students in the free vaccination programme. The cost of the 9.6 million doses will be around Bt1 billion, Suwanchai said. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30369459

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-05-16

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[Srikcir]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

HEALTH AUTHORITIES will provide free influenza shots for some 9.6 million children from next year under a Bt1-billion proposal

Sorry, but the government just placed an order for 37 new 1126 Stryker armoured vehicles from the US, valued around US$80 million or about Bt2.5 billion. Defending the nation takes priority over the health of its citizens.

If only children could join in the military.

[NoshowJones]

"If only children could join in the military".

They may as well be as they are treated like little soldiers in the schools anyway.

[CGW]

A new way to make money? sure "Big Pharma" will be happy to pay a few kickbacks when they are selling in quantities like this proposal, whatever happened to our immune systems that used to protect us "naturally" ????

[DrTuner]

Had the flu this year, took bloody forever to recover. Next year I'm getting shots for the whole family free or not. One of the "joys" of living in a tourist resort is you get every single germ and virus that's ever existed brought here by the tourists.

[SOTIRIOS]

...I guess real facts and statistics are irrelevant.....

 

...God Help us....

[mok199]

I don't even trust the school cafeteria ....

[happy chappie]

A lovely little earner again, the quack sounds more like a pharma salesman.the best way to fight this infection is isolation and hygiene but here in Thailand that's too much to ask for.

[quandow]

Yeah, like I'd trust these monkeys to understand maintaining a sterile field, or not to reuse needles, or to stick it in the right place, or to inject the right stuff, or . . .