Will you get the flu vaccine this year?
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, September 3, report: Will you get the flu vaccine this year?
Xinhua News Agency reporter
September to October each year is the best time to get the flu vaccine.
The reporter recently learned in Beijing, Gansu, Sichuan, Jilin and other places that due to the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the demand for influenza vaccination this year has increased compared with the same period in previous years.
Industry insiders believe that influenza vaccination may reduce the number of people who come to the hospital due to influenza, avoid the superimposition of influenza and new coronary pneumonia, and reduce the pressure on prevention and control.
All localities should increase the production and deployment of influenza vaccines, arrange inoculation personnel and venues in advance, and respond reasonably to this year's influenza season.
Are you more afraid of flu this year?
"I am even more afraid of flu this year." Liu Yue, a "post-80s" lady in Beijing, said, because once you have flu, you are likely to have fever symptoms. Not only do you feel flustered if you are infected with new coronary pneumonia, but going to a fever clinic will also increase your infection with new coronary pneumonia. Probability.
Therefore, this year the whole family plans to get the flu vaccine.
Liu Xiaoju, a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese Association of Respiratory Diseases, said that the main symptoms of influenza are fever, sore throat, cough, and body muscle aches. Very few cases are accompanied by gastrointestinal symptoms, and fever and respiratory symptoms are not specifically different from new coronary pneumonia.
From these symptoms alone, people cannot directly distinguish influenza from new coronary pneumonia.
Reporters in Beijing, Gansu, Sichuan, Jilin and other places found that the demand for vaccination is generally higher than in previous years.
Tian Jingying, a resident of Chengdu High-tech Zone in Sichuan Province, takes her children to get the flu vaccine every year. She said: “In the face of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, even her husband who has never been vaccinated for flu thinks that getting flu will weaken your resistance and vaccination can prevent you from getting sick. Other diseases."
The reporter learned from the Gansu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention on August 31 that the 60,000 influenza vaccines scheduled for the first round in Gansu Province have now been vaccinated.
"At this time in previous years, the province was only vaccinated with 20,000 influenza vaccines. The peak of this year's vaccination came early. The impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic is an important reason." said Zhang Xiaoshu, director of the Institute of Immunization of the Gansu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that autumn and winter are the seasons for common respiratory infectious diseases such as influenza and pneumonia. The number of patients will increase, overlapping with the prevention and control of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, and will give medical staff a differential diagnosis. Bringing difficulties, increasing the difficulty of isolation and medical load, is not conducive to epidemic prevention and control.
The most effective way is to vaccinate key populations as soon as possible.
Is the flu vaccine sufficient?
In response to the increased demand for influenza vaccination this year, have all localities responded to it in advance and is there sufficient supply of vaccines?
Zhang Xiaoshu said that taking into account the epidemic factors, Gansu Province has made advance judgments and actively coordinated vaccine manufacturers to ensure market supply.
Cheng Tao, director of the Institute of Immunization Planning of the Jilin Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that the Jilin Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention has also conducted research and judgment on vaccine shortages, and made a second supplementary purchase of some newly-marketed influenza vaccines.
At present, all types of influenza vaccines available for purchase on the market have been included in the procurement platform, and disease control agencies and vaccination units at all levels can fully choose.
A few days ago, the reporter saw at the Guixi Community Health Service Center in Chengdu, Sichuan, that the number of citizens vaccinated has reached more than 40.
After registering their identity information and receiving the notice of vaccination precautions, after a short wait, they all received the trivalent flu split vaccine.
The staff of the Community Health Service Center said that with the increase in demand for vaccination, this year's influenza vaccine arrival inventory has also been "replenished" to meet the vaccination demand.
It is understood that in response to the shortage of influenza vaccines in some regions in the past year or two, the state has increased the unified deployment of influenza vaccines in 2019. In 2020, many companies will join the production of influenza vaccines, and some old vaccine companies have also invested With the research and development of new varieties of influenza vaccines, the current national influenza vaccine production capacity has increased.
"Sufficient vaccinators and venues are also an important part of meeting people's needs for influenza vaccination. Research and coordination are required in advance." Taolina, who once worked on vaccination management at the provincial CDC, said that in some provinces, children and the elderly are free of charge. Vaccination policy, disease control personnel need to go to various schools to complete their work during the annual vaccination period, and the workload is very large.
Faced with the possible peak of vaccination this year, the vaccination personnel must be prepared in advance.
In order to avoid gathering of people, various localities have also made some arrangements, including providing more vaccination sites and time, and making vaccination appointments.
On the afternoon of September 1, the reporter learned at the Linhe Community Health Service Center of Changchun Economic and Technological Development Zone, Jilin, that in the past it was only available in the morning. Due to the large amount of influenza vaccination at present, it was specially opened in the afternoon.
Reasonably respond to the special flu season
Experts reminded that in accordance with the high influenza season in various regions, it is advisable for the general public to complete the vaccination before October.
Liu Shuyu, deputy chief of the immunization planning department of the Gansu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that early vaccination can not only avoid getting together, but also ensure that the vaccinators have enough time to produce antibodies before the flu season.
Leng Jun, director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Meishan City, Sichuan Province, believes that there is no difficulty in mass production of influenza vaccines. The difficulty lies in how to rationally allocate resources to avoid waste.
Although the demand for influenza vaccines will increase this year, the growth rate is hard to say. It is recommended that relevant departments and vaccine manufacturers conduct full research, collect a certain sample size, estimate the growth rate of vaccine demand, and then make arrangements on the production side.
Yang Xiaoting, deputy chief of the Department of Acute Infectious Disease Prevention and Control of the Gansu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that my country’s current influenza surveillance is full-year and full coverage. There are more than 400 network laboratories and more than 500 "sentinel" hospitals across the country to undertake local influenza. Activity monitoring tasks should give full play to the role of these “sentinels” and give timely warnings.
Experts suggest that people can reduce the risk of respiratory infections by developing good hygiene habits. Wearing masks, washing hands frequently, ventilating regularly, and maintaining social distance are all effective measures to prevent all respiratory infectious diseases.
Yang Xiaoting said that since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia, people have developed a lot of good hygiene habits. The incidence of hand, foot and mouth disease that occurs frequently in Gansu every summer is significantly lower than the same period in previous years. The incidence of respiratory diseases such as rubella and mumps is also generally low. In previous years.
"We are optimistic that if these personal hygiene habits can be maintained, the intensity of this year's flu will be reduced." Yang Xiaoting said.
(Reporters Liang Jun, Chen Jian, Lin Miaomiao, Zhao Dandan, Xiong Lin, Wang Bingyang)