The Saudi Ministry of Health (MoH) launched a seasonal flu vaccination initiative Thursday, announced by Ministry spokesperson Failsal bin Saeed Al-Zahrani. The first phase of flu clinics are hosted in malls and shopping centres across Riyadh, Jeddah, Taif, and Dammam. Kingdom-wide clinics will launch at a later unconfirmed date.
Seasonal flu is an infectious disease that has serious health and economic consequences upon the health infrastructure of the Kingdom, reports the Saudi MoH. Statistics reveal that 5-10% of adults and 30% of children are affected with seasonal flu annually in Saudi Arabia.
This campaign is targeted predominantly at healthcare workers, pregnant women, children (6 months to 5 years old), the elderly, and patients with chronic diseases, such as diabetes or cardiac disease.
For privacy reasons, there will be a male and female clinic at each mall and shopping centre. The events of this campaign are set to kick off tonight from 5-11pm, and will last for ten days at Sahara Mall in Riyadh and Al-Jamea Plaza in Jeddah.
