Cyprus H1N1 vaccinations to be available to under 25

The Ministry of Health has announced that it will begin vaccinating against the H1N1 virus healthy people and those under the age of 25 as of Wednesday, 16 December.

A statement by the Health Ministry said that this is the third stage of vaccinations which started on November 23.

The Ministry has also decided to proceed with the vaccination of all persons who are residing in homes for the elderly.

According to the statement, the vaccination programme is progressing smoothly and no serious side effects have been reported.

The information the Ministry is receiving from European scientific organisations and EU member states confirm the vaccination’s safety after more than 15 million people have been vaccinated on a European basis, it added.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health announced that a 52 year old man who was hospitalized with severe acute respiratory syndrome and had been diagnosed with H1N1 syndrome, succumbed to the virus on Saturday at the Limassol Intensive Care Unit.

The Ministry said the patient had a history of medical problems and belonged to the high risk groups. He is the fourth person to die from the H1N1 virus in Cyprus.