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SEOUL: South Korea on Monday (October 26) sought to allay concerns about the safety of its seasonal flu vaccine, urging it on citizens in a bid to avoid stress on a healthcare system already grappling with the coronavirus. .
Public anxiety about the safety of the flu vaccine has risen after at least 59 people died this month after the vaccines, while last month about 5 million doses had to be discarded because they were not stored at temperatures. recommended.
Authorities have said they found no direct link between the deaths and vaccines against the flu, which kills at least 3,000 South Koreans each year.
“Trust the health authorities’ conclusion … reached after an expert review,” said President Moon Jae-in.
“There is a need to expand influenza vaccination this year not only to prevent influenza, but also to prevent the concurrent infection and spread of influenza and COVID-19,” he told a meeting.
Last year, more than 1,500 older people died within seven days of receiving flu vaccines, but those deaths were not related to the vaccines, the government said.
South Korea, which began free vaccinations for the last eligible group on Monday, ordered 20 percent more flu shots this year to eliminate the possibility of simultaneous large outbreaks of influenza and coronavirus in winter, which would affect its system. of health.
He said that more than 14.7 million people have been vaccinated.
Around 1,200 cases of adverse reactions have been reported among them, but a direct link to vaccines has not been established, although 13 deaths are still being investigated.
The benefits of vaccination far outweigh any side effects, the health ministry said.
Serious adverse reactions to flu vaccines are rare, with only one in 500,000 to one million people experiencing anaphylactic shock, a life-threatening condition that usually occurs within seconds or minutes in people with allergies, said a senior. health official at Monday’s briefing.
No such case has been reported, the government said.
READ: The Ministry of Health recommends temporarily suspending the use of 2 influenza vaccines after deaths in South Korea
Singapore this week became one of the first nations to temporarily suspend the use of two flu vaccines as a precautionary measure, despite no reports of deaths that could be related.
South Korea said influenza infections fell to 1.2 per 1,000 people in the week of October 11-17, from 4.6 in the corresponding week a year ago.
