Ukraine's leading English-language newspaper since 1995

Tip of the Week teaches how to protect yourself from winter’s most annoying disease

despread and unpleasant is the flu, and children and the elderly are the most prone to catching it. The basic way to protect yourself against the flu is to get vaccinated.

According to the Ministry of Health Protection of Ukraine, the best protection against the flu is vaccination. Children can be vaccinated starting at the age of 6 months. There are many places in Kyiv where you can get vaccinated –including at almost any medical center.

One of them is the American Medical Center (1 Berdychivska, 490-7600). Here the vaccination costs Hr 110. The center is open on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. On weekends, only urgent services are offered. If you plan to get vaccinated at the American Medical Center, you need to call in advance in order to schedule an appointment. The advantage of the American Medical Center is that the staff is English-speaking. But if you don’t mind seeing Russian or Ukrainian-speaking medical practitioners, you have more options to choose from. One of them is the Ukrainian Medical-Diagnostic Center (6V Nikolsko-Slobidska, 492-3480). Here the vaccination costs only Hr 88. This center has more flexible working hours – it is open from 8:30 a.m. till 8 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m. on weekends.