BANGKOK, 23 August 2011 -Public Health Minister Mr. Wittaya Buranasiri said 2.5 million doses of swine flu vaccines would be injected for the high risk groups by the end of this month.
During the policy statement today, Mr. Wittaya and his deputy, Mr. Torphong Chaiyasarn, led a team of nurses from Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute to the House of Parliament to vaccinate MPs, Senators and other staff.
The purpose is to prevent the outbreak given the manifestation of the flu during the rainy season. According to the Bureau of Epidemiology of the Department of Disease Control, 21,398 have reportedly contracted the swine flu since the beginning of this year and 4 were dead.
The vaccinations are of those type B and A (H3N2) and will be injected to doctors and the elderly who are at risk of contracting the swine flu. The elderly with lung diseases, asthma, heart disease, stroke and kidney failure are highly vulnerable to the flu. 1.7 million doses have already been injected so far and more are expected to be carried out until the end of this month.
