As part of the Ministry of Health and Prevention's objectives to raise community awareness about the importance of seasonal influenza vaccination and acquaint health workers with the best international practices to prevent the risks of the influenza virus, the Ministry has launched its annual National Seasonal Flu Awareness Campaign 2020 under the theme “Immunize yourself …. Protect your community”. In cooperation with Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC), Abu Dhabi Health Services "SEHA" and Dubai Health Authority (DHA).

The campaign, which coincides with Covid-19 pandemic, aims to raise the awareness of health workers about the latest methods of preventing the influenza virus through tailor-made lectures and training courses, as well as to enhance community members’ awareness about the nature of this disease, its cusses and symptoms, and ways of prevention, provide sufficient amounts of vaccines for target groups, and increase vaccination coverage rates while underlining the readiness of health centers to receive those wishing to take the vaccine amid stringent precautionary and preventive measures.

The National Seasonal Flu Awareness Campaign is one of the most important events on the Health Ministry’s agenda. This stems from our strategy aimed at developing the health system, providing comprehensive health coverage to prevent infectious diseases, especially influenza, taking the necessary preventive measures to curb its spread and reduce its health and economic burdens, and raising awareness about the causes of the disease and its symptoms, and ways of prevention as an essential pillar in reducing its prevalence.

MoHAP was keen to launch early this annual campaign, which is packed with a variety of awareness-raising programs, to reach out to the largest segment of target groups and to ensure that they are getting vaccinated against this virus, so as to reduce the undesirable complications of one of the most major challenges to health systems around the world.

We call on the community members to get vaccinated and follow healthy and preventive habits to curb the prevalence of the seasonal flu to achieve health security and prevent infectious diseases.