AMMAN — The National Centre for Epidemics and Communicable Diseases Control has called on insurance companies to include the influenza vaccine in their coverage to protect high-risk groups, reduce hospital admissions and lower healthcare costs.

 

Centre president Adel Belbeisi said on Thursday that the centre had invited insurance companies to cover the vaccine, noting that vaccination could help prevent complications among vulnerable groups and generate significant savings for the healthcare sector.

 

Belbeisi said that influenza cases typically rise from around epidemiological week 43 and continue until the end of April or May, with infections peaking in week 50 before declining towards the end of the year or the first or second week of the following year, Al Mamlaka TV reported.

 

He identified older people, pregnant women and people with chronic diseases as among the groups most vulnerable to complications, adding that vaccination could help reduce hospital admissions among them.

 

Regarding respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Belbeisi said its activity typically begins towards the end of the year and continues until epidemiological week 15 or 16 of the following year.