This year’s doses of flu vaccines are on there way to Costa Rica, and the public health system announced they will launch a US$5.3 million seasonal immunization campaign in June.

The Costa Rica Social Security Agency (CCSS) which runs the national public health system of clinics and hospitals, said they aim to vaccinate 1.3 million people this year. Because influenza viruses change from year to year, new vaccines are created on an annual basis according to the most common strains circulating or predicted to circulate.

As in previous years, the campaign prioritizes vulnerable populations that include people over the age of 59, and young children between 6 months and 5 years; as well as people at high risk for complications from influenza such as pregnant women, and people cancer, diabetes, obesity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, or neurological disorders, said the CCSS.

The institution said the pediatric doses were expected to arrive this week, and did not make mention of the arrival date of the adult doses.

Leandra Abarca Gómez, coordinator of the CCSS immunization program, explained that this year they expected to use 100,000 more doses than last year due to plans to expand coverage among young children.

According to the specialist, the June campaign is timed well as it will come in advance of the usual peak of influenza in Costa Rica in July. Last year’s campaign started towards late May.

Gómez said that the mass vaccination campaign has proven to be cost-effective because, over the years, cases have been decreasing. In 2014, the cumulative number of influenza cases was 32,652 per 100,000 inhabitants, in 2015 the number dropped to 31,325 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, and in 2016 there were 27,814.