DOH urges reservations for kids' flu shots

Young children are required to take two shots to cope with the seasonal flu and the swine flu viruses, according to the vaccination program and the schedule worked out by the Cabinet-level Department of Health (DOH).

Some parents have voiced concern over the possible adverse effects from the combination of two kinds of flu shots. They also questioned if their babies can endure the pain of getting two injections at the same time. Such concerns have prompted some parents to separate the vaccines at intervals for their children, instead of taking them on a single trip to the hospital.

Deputy Director-General Chou Zhi-hao at the DOH's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and physicians at the National Taiwan University Children's Hospital assured parents of the safety of the vaccinations. They said the vaccinations will be effective in fighting different types of seasonal flu viruses and those related to the new swine flu.

All records of the World Health Organization and other national agencies like the Center for Disease Control of the United States have shown no problems in the combined use of the vaccines, they said.

Health officials in Taipei said the 12 branches of the Taipei City Hospital network plus the NTU Children's Hospital and the Municipal Hospital for Women and Children have been assigned to provide the vaccination service. They urged parents to take their children to designated hospitals at times prearranged by the health staff.

But parents can also contact hospitals as early as possible to book reservations for the time most convenient for them. More than 10 percent of parents with qualified vaccine recipients in their families have completed advanced registration for the injections, they said.

Parents should closely observe their babies' conditions for 30 minutes in the hospital after vaccinations. But the vaccination should be rescheduled in case the children currently show symptoms of fever or are under treatment for other ailments, the officials said.

Officials in Kaohsiung City said they have completed vaccinations for medical workers and victims of flooding in southern Taiwan, and will now focus on young children.

They reminded parents of carrying their children's National Health Insurance (NHI) cards when reporting to public health stations in various districts in the city.

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