A panel of doctors interact with Dr Kavitha Mathad, vice-principal of Sristi Global School; Vishnu Gattupalli of Bangalore Apartments' Federation (BAF); and former army man Col Ashish Mehta.
Credit: Special Arrangement
Bengaluru: Manipal Hospitals, Whitefield, launched an adult vaccination programme on Monday with vaccination packages for three categories — senior citizens, travellers, and pre- and post-menopausal women.
They will soon enable people to book slots on their website to avail themselves of any of the vaccination packages.
Speaking at the launch, a panel comprising Dr Veerendra Sutar, lead consultant for internal medicine; Dr Sheetal Chaurasia, consultant, respiratory medicine; and Dr Shivaraj AL, consultant, respiratory medicine and pulmonology; highlighted the need for greater awareness among adults, especially the elderly and people with comorbidities, and urged people to follow a vaccination plan regularly.
They encouraged people across ages to get an influenza shot annually, besides getting the pneumococcal vaccine and any destination-specific vaccination, if one is going on domestic or international trips.
"Plan four to five months in advance to get vaccinated at least four to six weeks before travelling because you need at least three weeks for antibodies to develop in your body. Besides other vaccines, we mandatorily recommend influenza vaccination for all travellers because they are more prone to catching an infection," said Dr Shivaraj.
The doctors clarified that vaccinations would not interfere with ongoing medications or cause any hormonal issues among women.
"Most medications that senior citizens take can be continued. Only severe immunosuppressants might need to be stopped for a couple of weeks after vaccination," said Dr Veerendra.
The panel also addressed fears regarding the effectiveness of vaccines and asserted that the benefits of being vaccinated outweighed the minimal side effects.