Skopje, 24 October 2024 (MIA) -- The state has launched a flu vaccination drive for health workers. Besides offering shots for the 2024-2025 flu season at the Public Health Institute, the state has put together mobile vaccination teams to administer the shots to medical staff at public health facilities nationwide.

After receiving his own flu shot at the PHI on Thursday, Minister of Health Arben Taravari said prevention was the best protection against disease, especially for health workers.

According to PHI director Marija Andonova, the vaccine drive aims to boost the vaccination rate among workers in the public health system.

"We are doing this for three reasons," Andonova said. "To make it easier to health workers; to increase the number of vaccinated people; and to be more efficient and finish this sooner so the PHI can continue vaccinating other citizens as well."

Health Minister Taravari said the state had procured around 70,000 flu shots for the 2024-2025 flu season. So far this year, he said, some 10,000 citizens had gotten their flu shots at 36 vaccination sites nationwide, and 52,000 had applied through the Ministry of Health's website vakcinacija.mk.

Taravari also said the Ministry of Health was working on a strategy to combat the growing anti-vax sentiment.

"Unfortunately, the anti-vaccination movement is gaining ground not only in Macedonia but also worldwide," Taravari said.

"Together with the WHO, we are developing a vaccination strategy. I hope we will launch it in November or December and say what we can legally do about this," the health minister said. mr/