A/H1N1
As of Sunday, more than one million Cubans have been vaccinated against A/H1N1 flu as part of the first stage of a vaccination campaign, Cuba’s government announced on Tuesday.
According to the National Statistics Directorate of the Ministry of Public Health, the one million number represents 90.5 percent of the total population targeted by health authorities for vaccination against the flu.
The government’s vaccination campaign was launched on April 1 with a goal of vaccinating approximately 10 percent, or 1.1 million Cubans, of the population.
Among those targeted are pregnant women, new mothers, patients with chronic diseases, health workers and workers from customs offices and airports.
A second stage of the vaccination campaign, slated to begin on May 3, will vaccinate children from six months to nine years old, approximately 25,000 moderate and severe asthma patients under the age of 18 and a similar number of health workers.
According to the Cuban government, 41 Cubans have died as a result of A/H1N1. Ninety-three cases of A/H1N1 were confirmed this week by the National Influenza Virus Labs of the Tropical Medicine Institute’s Pedro Kouri according to Granma.
To combat A/H1N1, citizens have been given strict personal and collective hygiene measures by health authorities. Additionally, citizens have been warned to visit a doctor as soon as symptoms arise.