The vaccinations will take place at local clinics (sağlık ocağı) and family health centers, and individuals within this category must only attest to their diseases or age in order to receive the vaccine. According to the Anatolia news agency, people suffering from chronic organ failure, diabetes, immune system disorders, chronic lung diseases, cancer, leukemia, cardiovascular diseases and asthma will be vaccinated. Children below the age of 5 will be vaccinated upon the permission of their parents. Officials said individuals being vaccinated are informed about the possible side effects of the vaccine, Anatolia reported. Experts and the Health Ministry say the best way for those in high-risk groups to protect themselves from the virus is to receive a swine flu shot. Associate Professor Alpay Azap from the department of infectious diseases at Ankara University said children below the age of 5 and individuals with chronic diseases should definitely be vaccinated against swine flu as the illness is more dangerous for these individuals.
The vaccination campaign against the pandemic flu started on Nov. 2 in Turkey with the vaccination of health care professionals and those preparing to go on the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. “The campaign is still under way, and close to 250,000 people have been vaccinated. No serious adverse effects have been observed in those vaccinated,” said the Health Ministry in a statement on Friday.
Pregnant women in Turkey will receive a special form of the swine flu vaccine that does not contain an adjuvant. Turkey plans to import 1 million doses of adjuvant-free vaccine, set to arrive in December.
Turkey reported its first case of swine flu on May 15. Turkey’s first swine flu death occurred on Oct. 24, when Mustafa Güneş died at Ankara’s Atatürk Sanatorium, where he had been receiving treatment. The death toll has rapidly increased over the last 20 days and reached 60 as of Friday.
