Cuba starts Monday a vaccination campaign against seasonal flu, through which people over 75 years of age and other groups of risk will be immunized.

Public Health Ministry Epidemiology Director Manuel Santin Peña stated that women and men of all ages in residential homes for the elderly and physically challenged people, those in psychiatric hospitals, as well as those suffering from severe diabetes, asthma, and chronic kidney problems will also be vaccinated.

Around 902,000 doses purchased in the Pan-American Health Organization will be administered to people in Cuba, and the medication is specifically against three viral strains, the spread of which is more probable in the island, the health official told Prensa Latina.

A person immunized with this vaccine can suffer symptoms of the flu, and it is not specifically against the A(H1N1) flu pandemic, against which there are already other compounds, still not available in the country.

The vaccine against seasonal flu will be administered in one single dose through the primary medical care system nationwide, so health authorities have taken some necessary organizational measures for that purpose, Santin Peña said.

The nation has carried out a great effort for several years to vaccinate the most vulnerable people, who can suffer from flu and seasonal influenza, and also to avoid complications in those specific groups.

People can not forget that respiratory viruses are unpredictable and of devious behavior, the health director stressed.

The country's health authorities are insisting that the population should maintain and improve the preventative strategy, fulfill the advised hygienic measures, wash hands frequently with soap and water, cover mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, avoid contact with sick people, and not to visit closed places, among others.