With the colder weather approaching, the Jalisco government is keen for more than one million residents in the state to get flu vaccines before the end of December.
Flu shots are given free of charge to all. Persons covered by the Instituto Mexicano de Seguro Social (IMSS) and Instituto de Seguridad y Servicios Sociales de los Trabajadores del Estado (ISSSTE) for government employees, can obtain the vaccine at their local clinic, while everyone else (the uninsured, including foreigners) can get the shot at a Secretaria de Salud (SSJ) health clinic. Vaccination booths will also be set up in public plazas, markets and other spaces, including the city airport and bus station.
The SSJ, IMSS and ISSSTE will have 2.25 million flu shots available over the winter months. So far, 430,000 doses have been applied.
Health Secretary Afonso Petersen said the flu vaccine campaign results in a 60-percent drop in the number of doctor visits for respiratory problems.
One death from this year’s flu strain – a 33-year-old man – has already been confirmed in Jalisco, the SSJ reported this week.