"This Year, Flu Vaccination Should Be Advanced" Daedong Hospital Offers Free Vaccination for Children and Adolescents

Daedong Hospital to Offer Free Influenza Vaccination for Children and Adolescents Starting the 8th
COVID-19 Spread with Flu-Like Symptoms... Essential to Get Vaccinated This Year

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Daedong Hospital has been selected as a medical institution for the 2020-2021 seasonal influenza national vaccination support project by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and will provide free influenza vaccinations to children and adolescents starting from the 8th.

The vaccination targets are infants and children aged from 6 months to 18 years old. This year, in preparation for the simultaneous spread of influenza and COVID-19, the start date has been moved earlier compared to the previous season.

Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is a disease caused by the influenza virus that occurs every winter season.

It spreads between people through respiratory droplets from coughing and sneezing, causing symptoms such as fever, headache, dry cough, sore throat, and muscle pain. Unlike adults, children may also experience gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea.

Complications can include bacterial pneumonia, pneumothorax, myocarditis, pericarditis, and encephalitis. If there are pre-existing conditions such as chronic bronchitis or chronic respiratory diseases, influenza can worsen these conditions, so vaccination is important for prevention.

Influenza vaccination should be administered annually. This is because the vaccine is produced each year to match the predicted circulating strains due to antigenic changes, and immunity from the vaccine decreases by the following year.

Daedong Hospital administers the quadrivalent vaccine recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the 2020-2021 season. Those requiring two doses can receive vaccinations from September 8 to April 30 of the following year, and those requiring one dose can receive vaccinations from September 22 to December 31 of this year.

The two-dose group includes children and adolescents receiving the influenza vaccine for the first time or those with unknown vaccination history, as well as those who have only received one dose before July 1, 2020, and whose immunity is not fully established. The number of doses and schedule should be determined after consultation with medical staff before vaccination.

This year, the vaccination program has been expanded to include an additional 2.85 million adolescents aged 13 to 18 for influenza prevention. As the number of vaccination targets increases, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency plans to operate an intensive vaccination period for those aged 7 to 18 (elementary, middle, and high school students) who require one dose, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education.

Dr. Song Ik-jin, head of the Pediatrics Department at Daedong Hospital, stated, “Mild adverse reactions such as redness, swelling, pain at the injection site, fever, fatigue, headache, and muscle pain may occur after influenza vaccination, but these usually improve within 2 to 3 days.”

He also said, “Since it takes about two weeks for immunity to develop after vaccination, it is best to get vaccinated between September and mid-October before the flu season begins in earnest.”

Especially this year, with COVID-19 showing symptoms similar to influenza and spreading worldwide, it is necessary to expedite vaccination.

Information related to influenza vaccination can be checked through the Vaccination Helper website, smartphone apps, and designated medical institutions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.