DHA flu vaccine guidelines: who should get vaccinated in Dubai

The authority’s Seasonal Influenza Guideline puts the annual global attack rate of seasonal influenza at 5–10% in adults and 20–30% in children, underlining why the DHA flu vaccine push targets specific populations before the season peaks.

Who the DHA flu vaccine guidelines cover

The DHA’s Clinical Guideline for Best Practice in Immunization identifies priority groups for vaccination when supply is limited: people with chronic health conditions, pregnant women, adults with a body mass index of 40 or above, adults aged 65 and over, and children aged six months through 59 months.

Children and adolescents aged six months through 18 years who take aspirin or salicylate-containing medicines are also on the priority list because of the risk of Reye syndrome.

The seasonal influenza guideline is more granular on chronic conditions. It specifies cardiac, pulmonary, renal, liver, neurodevelopmental, and haematologic diseases, as well as immunosuppression, as the categories that qualify. Healthcare workers are included in the same list.

Pilgrims are a further group the guideline singles out for proactive vaccination counselling, a category that reflects the mass-gathering risk of Hajj and Umrah.

Pregnant women may receive the vaccine during any trimester, the DHA said. Vaccination during pregnancy provides passive immunity to the newborn in the first months of life, when infants are too young to be vaccinated themselves. The cut-off for infant vaccination is six months: children younger than that are listed as an absolute contraindication to the flu vaccine.

Residents and caregivers who live with or care for people with weakened immune systems, or with babies under six months, are also advised to get vaccinated, extending the guidance beyond those who are personally at medical risk.

Common questions the DHA wants healthcare staff to address

The DHA said healthcare providers should reassure patients that inactivated influenza vaccines cannot cause influenza. The concern that the vaccine makes recipients ill is among the reasons patients decline immunisation, and the guideline explicitly asks doctors and nurses to address it.

Flu vaccines have been in use for more than 60 years. Protection does reduce over time, which is why annual vaccination is recommended rather than a single lifetime dose. Vaccines are updated each year to better reflect circulating virus strains.

Several inactivated and recombinant vaccines are available as injections. A live attenuated version is available as a nasal spray, though this form is not suitable for all groups.

\p>The DHA also advises facilities to vaccinate eligible patients who have not yet received the shot before they are discharged from acute-care wards, rather than leaving it to a follow-up visit.

Beyond vaccination, the authority recommends regular handwashing, covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, disposing of tissues properly, and staying home when unwell. Residents should also avoid close contact with sick people and avoid touching their eyes, nose, or mouth.

Flu symptoms typically appear around two days after infection and can include sudden fever, dry cough, headache, muscle and joint pain, severe tiredness, sore throat, and a runny nose. Most people recover within about a week without medical treatment, though complications are more likely in the groups the DHA guidelines cover.

The DHA Periodic Health Screening Guideline also recommends that adults receive a Td or Tdap vaccine once if they did not receive it as an adolescent, and that adults aged 19 to 26 get the HPV vaccine, part of a broader immunisation schedule the authority expects providers to discuss during routine visits.