The Public Health Ministry is gearing up to provide an additional 200,000 doses of influenza vaccine to public transport and tourism industry workers in 31 provinces.
The vaccination programme aims to reduce the spread of the virus and support the tourism sector as influenza infections were reported throughout 2023, Dr Thongchai Keeratihuttayakorn, director-general of the Department of Disease Control (DDC), said on Monday.
According to DDC statistics, a total of 472,222 influenza infections and 29 deaths were reported from Jan 1-Dec 30 last year, with the influenza A virus found to be the dominant strain.
Rayong, Phayao, Phuket, Bangkok and Chiang Mai saw the highest number of infections and the biggest group of patients was aged 5-9. Infections were mostly reported in big cities with a dense population.
Dr Thongchai said the flu jabs will be given to workers in the public transport and tourism industries, such as taxi-motorcyclists, drivers of public buses, as well as staff working in hotels, restaurants, night spots and spa shops in 31 designated provinces across the 13 health zones.
Earlier, the DDC said influenza, dengue fever and Covid-19 were the most widespread infectious diseases in Thailand in 2023.
For dengue fever, there were 147,412 infections from Jan 1 to Dec 13, about 3.4 times higher than the figure in 2022, resulting in 174 fatalities.
With regard to Covid-19, 37,863 people were admitted to hospitals from Jan 1 to Dec 23, and of this number, 845 died, and 114 suffered lung inflammation.
Dr Manoon Leechawengwongs, a pulmonologist at Vichaiyut Hospital, on Monday warned the public to take precautions by wearing facemasks in crowded places as Covid-19 and influenza infections remained high.
Citing figures from the hospital, he wrote on Facebook that the number of Covid-19 cases was steadily rising, with 606 reported in December. While the number of influenza cases was dropping, infections in December stood at 208. He said human metapneumovirus (hMPV) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) were low last month at 19 and 5, respectively.
According to Dr Manoon, Covid-19 infections were on the upward trend and had surpassed influenza, so people should maintain personal hygiene to reduce the transmission risk.