Flu vaccines available on Friday

The influenza vaccine for the 2022/2023 season will be available at 50 health centres throughout Trinidad, beginning on Friday. Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said five mass vaccination sites would be opened across the island on Monday.

At the virtual launch of the drive on Wednesday, Deyalsingh said 75,000 doses of the vaccine arrived in TT on Tuesday and were being distributed, with some going to Tobago. He said they cost US$285,000. The expiration date is August 2023.

“The vaccines are a tri-valent vaccine, meaning they contain two strains of influenza A – H1N1, H3N2 – and one strain of influenza B.

"We are trying to vaccinate as many people as soon as possible, especially in the high-risk groups: health care workers, the pregnant population, the elderly over 65 years, children six months and over, immuno-suppressed people, and all those with non-communicable diseases – diabetes, hypertension, cancers, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, etc.”

He said vaccines will be available at 15 centres in the NCRHA, with a mass vaccination site at the Divali Nagar.

In the NWRHA, six health centres will have the vaccine, and the mass vaccination site will be the Paddock at the Queen’s Park Savannah.

The ERHA will have vaccines available at 17 health centres, and two mass vaccination sites will be set up at the Sangre Grande Civic centre and the Mayaro Sports Facility.

Vaccines will be available at seven health centres in the SWRHA and the mass vaccination site will be established at the Atrium, Gulf City Mall, La Romaine.

Deyalsingh said in addition to these venues, the RHAs will also be doing community outreach and informal pop-up vaccination drives.

CMO Dr Roshan Parasram said the vaccine would be given by intramuscular injection. He said it was inactive and could not cause infection. He said children six-35 months would receive 0.25 millilitres of the vaccine and those over that age would receive 0.5 millilitres.Common side effects would be pain/tenderness at the injection site, fatigue, headaches, and muscle aches.

He said the flu season usually runs from October to May the following year.

Over the past five years, the uptake of the vaccines has varied.

“In 2017-18, we would have given out 63,495 vaccines, in 2018-19, 90,051, in 2019-2020, 121,500, in 2020-2021, 74,887, and in the 2021-2022 flu season, 26,807.

"So we did see a slightly declining trend over the course of covid19. Our average for those five years is approximately 75,000, which is what we would have ordered this year, based on the five-year trend.”

Deyalsingh gave an update on the number of childhood vaccinations. He said polio was at 94 per cent, DPT3 was at 94 per cent, MMR1 was at 95 per cent, MMR2 was at 93 per cent, and yellow fever was at 91 per cent.

Parasram noted that this year there had been 564 cases of influenza for 2022, and three deaths. He said the flu season seemed to have started earlier, with cases being seen in September, which could be due to adaptation on the part of the virus after increased public health measures over the last two years. He said research was needed to determine the cause, and the ministry would be pushing UWI to look in that direction.

Parasram said 300-400 people were being tested daily for covid19, and once these were negative they were sent for testing for various strains of the flu.

He said people who used epi-pens or had a history of allergic reactions to vaccines should seek medical advice before taking the vaccine.

Deyalsingh noted that some of the measures taken for covid19 were also being used for the flu, including sanitising/hand washing, masking, and staying apart.

Consultant pulmonologist Dr Sana Mohammed said seasonal influenza is an acute respiratory virus. The main signs and symptoms are the sudden onset of fever, a dry cough, headaches, muscle or joint pains, malaise or feeling generally unwell, sore throat and runny nose.

“Most people recover from symptoms within a week without requiring medical attention, but influenza can cause severe illness and death, especially in people at high risk.

She said both influenza (the flu) and the common cold are contagious respiratory illnesses, but they are caused by different viruses. The symptoms of flu are more intense and begin more abruptly.

“Influenza can cause a more rapid deterioration, and someone can go from slightly unwell to seriously ill, requiring hospitalisation, within a matter of 24 hours. Some cases of influenza can also lead to death.

"Patients with severe or progressive clinical illness associated with the virus, that is, those who get chest infections or pneumonias, those who have overwhelming infections (sepsis) or those who have any exacerbation of chronic underlying conditions, should seek medical attention immediately.”

She said there are several warning signs that things are getting worse, including a sudden high-grade fever not affected by medication; in children, seizures, faint feeling, non-responsiveness; and generally anyone with abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting, and not able to tolerate foods, worsening respiratory symptoms, a productive cough and exacerbation of any underlying conditions.