With the approach of the winter season, the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention has urged all residents of the country to get the annual influenza vaccine to protect themselves against seasonal flu.
The ministry, in its 2025–2026 Seasonal Influenza Awareness Guide, identified six high-risk groups, including the elderly, children aged six months to five years, pregnant women, pilgrims, patients with chronic heart, lung, kidney, or neurological diseases, as well as healthcare workers.
According to the Ministry of Health, the flu vaccine prevents 70–90% of clinical infections and reduces the risk of hospitalization and death from complications. In healthy adults, the vaccine can be up to 90% effective.
The guidelines also recommend seven preventive measures to reduce the risk of infection:
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Get the flu vaccine
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Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing
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Stay home if you have a fever or flu-like symptoms
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Avoid direct contact with sick individuals
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Wash and disinfect hands regularly
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Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth
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Continuously clean frequently-touched surfaces
Seasonal influenza is an acute respiratory infection transmitted through respiratory droplets or contact with contaminated surfaces. Symptoms include fever, headache, cough, muscle aches, sore throat, runny nose, and in children, sometimes vomiting or diarrhea. The incubation period usually ranges from one to four days.
The flu vaccine, which is administered via injection and is inactivated, provides protective effects approximately two weeks after vaccination. It particularly helps prevent hospitalization and complications in pregnant women and reduces the transmission of the virus to infants and family members.
According to World Health Organization statistics, influenza affects 5–10% of adults and 20–30% of children worldwide each year, causing 3–5 million severe cases and 290,000–650,000 deaths. Vaccination can also reduce disease severity in the elderly by up to 39% and mortality by up to 75%.
The Ministry of Health emphasized that UAE residents, especially those in high-risk groups, can receive the vaccine at both public and private healthcare centers.
