Resettled Bhutanese vaccinated (Diaspora)

California, November 18: Newly resettled exiled Bhutanese in California, USA have been given flu vaccines on Sunday to keep them safe from cold and flu this winter.

Flu or influenza, in USA alone is responsible for many cases of hospitalizations or even deaths. According to statistics provided by Flufacts.com, it is estimated that somewhere around 25-30 million cases of flu are reported-with around 150,000 cases of hospitalizations and around 30,000-40,000 cases of death-each year.

To protect the newly resettled exiled Bhutanese from this deadly strain of flu, the local Bhutanese group, Bhutanese American Community Center (BACC) joined forces along Alameda County Public Health Department, who sponsored the program to get all of the new immigrants vaccinated against flu.

Dr. William Walling, the Medical Director of Street Level Clinic and Kathy Ahoy, Public Health Nurse of Alameda County were deployed along with other medical officers and volunteers for the vaccination.

Dr. Ahoy was born in Kalimpong, a popular tourist site situated in the hilly regions of North Bengal. She immigrated to America as a refugee from India and speaks Nepali, Hindi and some Chinese. Whereas Dr. Walling, as a past volunteer for Peace Corps, had served in Hetauda, Nepal for three years from 1968-1971. Contributed by Ananta Gurung