Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-01-04

Premier William Lai says flu vaccines offered to the public free of charge are still effective

despite the arrival of an unexpected strain. Lai was speaking Thursday at the Cabinet.

Lai’s comments came after Taiwan’s health authorities confirmed that the B virus that recently appeared is the Yamagata strain, not the Victoria strain predicted earlier by the WHO.

Taiwan has already entered the flu season and Lai has told the health ministry to step up its monitoring and preparation.

Cabinet spokesperson Hsu Kuo-yung relayed the premier’s message. Hsu said, “This year, the flu vaccines made available to the public free of charge were selected according to the virus predicted by the World Health Organization. Although the vaccines are unable to accurately predict the current virus strain, they protect vaccinated persons to some extent and are able to reduce the risk of serious illness or death. To cope with the peak flu season that will arrive around Chinese New Year, the health ministry must work with other agencies and local governments to step up preparation in line with its contingency plans. These include flu surveillance, anti-virus vaccines, prevention on campuses and institutions, medical care, coordination of resources, and so on.”    [SOURCE]