Qatar Airways recently held a five-day influenza vaccination campaign for employees of the group to help ensure the health and wellbeing of employees.
The campaign took place at Qatar Airways corporate offices and Hamad International Airport to ensure that vaccination was available to all of the carrier’s employees based in Doha.
Qatar Airways head of medical service Dr Soha al-Bayat said, “Qatar Airways continues to prioritise the health and wellbeing of employees, especially during the winter season. This campaign aimed to provide our local employees in Doha with the influenza vaccination and raise awareness about the importance of getting vaccinated during winter as a preventative measure.”
In a statement, Qatar Airways stressed that it was one of the largest employers in Qatar with the staff members representing more than 150 nationalities. “In 2015, the airline increased its group employee numbers by 14% to a year-end total of more than 40,000 staff members worldwide,” it noted.
Influenza is a viral infection that can circulate worldwide and cause annual epidemics. It is thought to affect 5% to 10% of adults and 20% to 30% of children, resulting in up to 5mn cases of reported illness each year and tragically, up to half a million deaths, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
As the influenza virus can develop a resistance to the drugs used against it, it is recommend to have yearly vaccinations.
Qatar Airways has a fleet of 175 aircraft flying to more than 150 key business and leisure destinations across six continents. It won the Airline of the Year, Best Business Class Airline Seat and Best Airline in the Middle East accolades at the 2015 Skytrax Awards. This is the third time the airline won the accolade of Airline of the Year.