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You are a highly skilled AI assistant that extracts key information from news articles. You are able to identify the core topics, relevant entities, and important details, and present them in a concise and organized manner.
**Article Title:** When do doctors recommend the flu vaccination for season 2025 - 2026? How many flu strains does this year's vaccine cover?
**Key Topics:** Flu vaccination recommendations for the 2025-2026 season, composition of the flu vaccine, eligibility for free or subsidized vaccination in Romania, flu symptoms and prevention.
**Entities:**
* **Organizations:** European Medicines Agency (EMA), World Health Institution (WHO), Association of Family Physicians Bucharest-Ilfov
* **People:** Sandra Alexiu
* **locations:** romania, European Union
* **Medical Terms:** Influenza, Influenza A/H1N1, H3N2, Type B/Victoria Lineage, Trivalent vaccine, Tetravalent vaccine, Pneumonia, Covid
**Key Details:**
* **Vaccination Timing:** Doctors recommend starting flu immunization from October 1st to allow the body to develop antibodies before the flu season begins in November, with cases expected to peak around January.
* **Vaccine Composition:** the 2025-2026 flu vaccine is a trivalent vaccine, protecting against two type A strains (H1N1 and H3N2) and one type B strain (Victoria Lineage).
* **Vaccination Recommendations:** Flu vaccination is recommended for everyone, especially young children (up to 5 years), the elderly, and individuals with respiratory, heart, immune diseases, or cancer. Children under 9 receiving the vaccine for the first time should get two doses.
* **Vaccination Access in Romania:**
* Free for children (6 months to 18 years), pregnant women, and individuals over 45 with certain medical conditions (cardio-vascular, kidney, liver, oncological, autoimmune, congenital malformations, neurological diseases).* free high-dose vaccine for people over 60.
* 50% compensated for people between 45 and 65 years old without underlying health conditions.
* Any doctor in Romania with a contract with the health insurance house can prescribe the vaccine, but only certain doctors (family doctors, pediatricians, infectious disease specialists, epidemiologists, and doctors with special vaccine competence) can administer it.
* **Flu Information:**
* Flu symptoms include fever/chills, clogged nose, dry cough, headache, and muscle pain.
* Vaccination is the best prevention method, alongside a healthy lifestyle.* Antiviral drugs are most effective within 24-48 hours of symptom onset, shortening symptom duration but not stopping the disease.
