The Mexican Institute of Social Security, (IMSS), has joined the national seasonal flu vaccination campaign, which will end on March 31, 2023, with which it aims to apply 15.3 million vaccines in the eligible population and in general that the Ordinary Regime and IMSS-WELFARE units go to the doctor, a dose that can be combined with that of Covid-19 without problems.
The coordinator of medical programs in the IMSS Disease Prevention and Detection Division, Juan Carlos Martínez Vivar, stressed that vaccination is primarily aimed at people at greatest risk of presenting complications, such as 6-month-old babies and girls up to 4 years, 11 months and people aged 60 and over, as well as people with risk factors for complications, such as pregnant women, or with exposure to the infection, such as healthcare professionals.
Vaccination is recommended for people aged 5 to 59 who are living with a chronic disease, HIV, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, congenital, pulmonary, heart or kidney conditions, cancer, patients receiving chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or other conditions that they reduce the immune response. , among others.
It is important to have the vaccine in this context of a pandemic, because, being two different viral agents, the flu does not exempt from suffering from Covid-19 or even both at the same time, so it is also necessary to reduce risk factors and not to neglect preventive actions. such as frequent hand washing, correct use of masks, ventilation of spaces, cleaning surfaces with weak solutions or detergents and maintaining a healthy distance.
Those people who have received the immunization or booster against the flu virus in the past few days can receive the SARS-CoV-2 dose at the same time, or as soon as possible.
“Influenza vaccines are a public health intervention, it is the application of viral particles, in which, to produce an infection that simulates a natural infection, at least 21 days must elapse for this vaccine to have its sufficient protective potential.” .
The flu usually presents with a rapid onset picture, with high fever between 38-39 degrees Celsius, general malaise, body aches, tiredness, fatigue and cough on occasion.
It called on the public to identify complications that can occur in vulnerable people and require medical evaluation, such as difficulty breathing, drowsiness or irritability, bluish hues of the skin on the hands, feet or lips, sweating and changes in consciousness. .
The population is asked to go as soon as possible to get vaccinated, since the circulation of the virus is constant and the incidence of cases increases at the beginning of the months from November to March.
As part of this nationwide campaign, Social Security implements a deployment of seasonal influenza vaccination modules across all of its medical units, which will serve Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 20:00 in clinics and hospitals across the country. Family medicine. ; medical units that provide assistance on weekends will also have vaccination forms at the same time.
The nurses and other categories of the Institute participate, who will also make visits to nursery schools, companies and schools, in order to identify and vaccinate people with risk factors; Semi-fixed vaccination posts will be placed in places of influx of people to facilitate access to vaccination.
“If I am not a beneficiary of the IMSS, I can also go to the medical departments of the IMSS to get vaccinated, we have vaccination brigades with which we will go to companies, schools, workplaces, in order to approach vaccination against the influence and make it accessible ”.
It is important that this vaccine is applied annually in the groups it is aimed at, as there are usually small variations of the virus and it needs to be updated.
