According to the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC), as of November 7, 2012, the influenza vaccination coverage rate among children aged below 3 has reached 40%, which is 2% less than that during the same period last year.  On the other hand, the influenza vaccination coverage rate among adults has reached over 80%, totaling 2.18 million doses of influenza vaccine.  Since influenza season is about to start in December and the current dominant influenza virus strain circulating in the community is AH3, which highly matches the vaccine strain, Taiwan CDC urges timely vaccination will ensure protection against influenza.  Further, Taiwan CDC reminds the public to take other precautions against influenza such as washing hands regularly and practicing good cough and sneeze etiquette to prevent influenza infection. If respiratory symptoms develop, please rest at home as much as possible or wear a mask when going out to prevent further transmission of the virus. 

Taiwan CDC rebutted a recent report that the ongoing influenza AH3 outbreak would result in an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 deaths.   After the implementation of the annual seasonal influenza vaccination campaign, the actual number of deaths associated with influenza infection will be a lot lower than reported.  According to the past year surveillance data compiled by Taiwan CDC, the number of deaths found to be associated with influenza infection is around 100 to 200. Nevertheless, the actual number of deaths associated with influenza infection may be higher than 100~200 since many deceased patients usually had multiple severe diseases simultaneously and it is impossible to perform influenza testing for each deceased patient. 

Target groups to receive the government-funded vaccine, including elderly people aged 65 and older, people with major illness/injury, people with rare disease, residents and personnel at nursing institutes, children aged 6 moths through 6 years, elementary school students from grade 1 through 6, health care and public health personnel, poultry farmers and animal health inspectors, are urged to receive the vaccine as soon as possible to prevent infection. For any questions or further information on influenza vaccination, please visit the local health bureau’s website or the Taiwan CDC’s website: http://www.cdc.gov.tw/ or call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Consultation Hotline, 1922.