Mongolia starts vaccinating high-risk groups against flu www.xinhuanet.com
Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia has started offering flu vaccinations free of charge for high-risk groups, such as pregnant women and children under the age of 12, the country's health ministry announced on Monday.
The annual 10-day vaccination campaign is part of efforts to prevent respiratory infections, including seasonal flu and COVID-19, the ministry said in a statement.
Mongolia has recently received 360,600 doses of flu vaccine via the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Under normal circumstances, Mongolia, with a population of around 3.4 million, acquires an average of more than 100,000 doses of flu vaccines a year. However, the amount of flu vaccine was doubled this year due to COVID-19, according to the country's foreign ministry.
In the Asian country, the peak flu season runs from December to February.
The national capital Ulan Bator, home to nearly half of the country's child population, suffers serious air pollution in winter.
Children living in a highly polluted district of central Ulan Bator are found to have 40 percent lower lung function than those from rural areas, according to UNICEF.
Children's wards in hospitals in the world's coldest capital city are always over-crowded during winter
Published Date:2021-09-14