[TOKYO, JAPAN, 25 January 2012]
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| © Japan Committee for UNICEF |
| *Not actual photo. |
In mid-December 2011 the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced the start of influenza season. Since the beginning of January influenza has begun to spread in earnest in the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, closing kindergartens, preschools and other facilities. It is believed that influenza will continue to spread for the immediate future, and the government continues to recommend that people protect against infection and get the influenza vaccination, as it prevents the virus from growing more severe.
The Japan Committee for UNICEF (JCU) has decided to provide assistance for influenza vaccinations for children in 29 municipalities in the coastal areas of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures—all areas devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake. Accordingly, JCU is working through the municipal health authorities to subsidize \2,000 of the cost of each vaccination. This will effectively subsidize vaccinations for approximately 160,000 children between the ages of six-months to junior high school in the municipalities listed below.
| Iwate | Miyako, Yamada, Otsuchi, Kamaishi, Ofunato, Rikuzentakata, Sumida, Iwazumi, Tanohata |
|---|---|
| Miyagi | Kesennuma, Minamisanriku, Onagawa, Ishinomaki, Higashi-Matsushima, Watari, Yamamoto |
| Fukushima | Shinchi, Soma, Minamisoma, Iwaki, Futaba, Hirono, Naraha, Tomioka, Sendai, Okuma, Namie, Katsurao, Iitate |
*Subsidy procedures differ by municipality, but, as a rule, if one applies for an influenza vaccination, they will only be charged for the difference after JCU’s subsidy has been subtracted.
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| © Japan Committee for UNICEF |
| Public magazines distributed in various areas are also calling for people to get influenza vaccinations. |
The Japan Committee for UNICEF has also created tools (“Global Handwashing Dance DVD, posters, leaflets) to disseminate and promote correct handwashing techniques, and is calling on citizens to contribute to the prevention of infectious diseases by utilizing these techniques.