Health Protection Agency (HPA) on Tuesday night urged the public to get vaccinated for influenza amidst the ongoing flu epidemic in the Maldives.
The agency advised everyone to practise caution and get vaccinated, in particular children, pregnant women and the elderly for whom the infection could prove fatal.
The vaccines are provided at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), ADK Hospital, Senahiya, and Dhamanaveshi in capital Male, along with the hospitals in the suburbs of Villimale and Hulhumale.
According to HPA, IGMH and ADK would provide the vaccines at their designated times. Meanwhile, people can get vaccinated at Dhamanaveshi from 10:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. daily, and 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays.
Senahiya provides the service from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on and 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. on all working days, while Hulhumale Hospital is from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. on all days except Fridays.
HPA had earlier announced that 69 percent of inpatients have so far tested positive for type A Influenza. The statement by HPA further revealed that 6,669 people were treated for Influenza last week, which is the highest number of weekly consultations during this flu epidemic.