Docs advise H1N1 vaccine for more groups

HYDERABAD: With swine flu cases remaining high and affecting people of all ages, doctors are now urging more people, rather than just those at high risk, to get the vaccine.

The number of swine flu or H1N1 cases at most private hospitals has plateaued, but remains high and is expected to remain so for another two months. As a result, doctors are either advising everyone to get the vaccine or expanding the groups of people they advise to get vaccinated. In some cases, patients are approaching hospitals on their own for the vaccine.

Dr. Subhankar Kandi, a senior pulmonologist at Kamineni Hospital, stated that while it is better for everyone to get vaccinated, there is not enough awareness about the need to take the vaccine. “Patients tend to visit doctors only when they have a problem, rather than for prevention, and this needs to change.” People should be informed about the importance of seasonal vaccination. The flu vaccine is included in children’s vaccination schedules in the United States, but not here, he explained.

Dr Tapaswi Krishna, a pulmonologist at Gleneagles Global Hospital, said the groups of people doctors advised to take the shot had expanded to include healthcare workers, diabetics or hypertensives, children under the age of 10, people with asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), people with a history of Covid, lung damage, pregnant women, among others. She stated that the hospital was receiving 9-10 swine flu cases per day, and that many people were now volunteering to get the vaccine.