The Nakuru County’s Department of Health Services have announced an important milestone of having vaccinated over 79 percent of healthcare workers against influenza to protect the workers from the threat of seasonal outbreaks.

The County Executive for Health, Mrs. Roselyn Mungai said the vaccination exercise was launched in January. And, they are targeting 100 percent of healthcare workers to safeguard them against infections since their daily interactions with patients put them at increased risk. She was speaking today at the county offices.

She noted that the widespread flu is caused by an influenza virus, and most people get the flu when they breathe in tiny airborne droplets from coughs or sneezes of an infected person, and when they touch something with the virus on it.

Also, she said the common symptoms of flu are fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, and fatigue, and children tend to have additional signs of vomiting and diarrhea.

Additionally, she said t
he World Health Organization recommends annual influenza vaccinations because it affects a large part of the world’s population, and causes major health, social and economic impacts.

Apart from that, she noted that active immunization practices have always been recommended to counter influenza, especially for people at risk or immunocompromised individuals. Yet, the influenza vaccination coverage among healthcare workers remains rather low worldwide.

However, Mrs. Mungai reiterated the commitment of the county to ensuring that influenza vaccinations are administered annually to reduce a healthcare worker’s risk of getting the flu and then spreading it to patients. Especially children and older people who may be at higher risk of developing severe diseases from influenza.

Source: Kenya News Agency