According to the deputy-Director General for Health Graça Freitas, the expanding of free flu jabs to diabetics was based on the risks that the cold poses to sufferers of the illness, namely organ failure, which justifies the measure.
Firefighters will be given the jab for free as they provide assistance to others with health issues andthis aims to protect them and the people they help.
The 1.4 million vaccines that Portugal’s DGS National Health Service has purchased comes at a cost of €3.4 million.
Firefighters and diabetics hence join the over-65s, the institutionalised, people enrolled in the continuous health of home help network, and those with chronic diseases, who can have the vaccination for free.
It is also free for people on dialysis, transplant patients, undergoing chemotherapy, and those with Down’s syndrome or cystic fibrosis.
The DGS intends to further expand the populations entitled to the free jab to all risk groups covered by prophylaxis.
Graça Freitas was speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the unveiling of a new national vaccination programme campaign at a secondary school in Lisbon.
Explaining the benefits of the flu jab, she said: “Vaccinations are a right, like clean water, but it is also a duty; an act of responsibility and solidarity.”