Vilnius residents can already travel to pharmacies: prescriptions for updating potassium iodide pills

Vilnius City Municipality reports that electronic prescriptions have already been updated for capital residents who did not withdraw their potassium iodide pills last year.

Potassium iodide pills are available from pharmacies listed on the website jodas.vilnius.lt.

The electronic prescriptions were updated centrally by the Centre’s polyclinic in cooperation with “Registrų centras”. Potassium iodide preparation can be withdrawn by those residents of Vilnius who have declared their place of residence in the capital until 2021, but have missed last year’s invitations to take free pills

New residents of Vilnius, who have declared their place of residence in the city since 2021, as well as infants and Ukrainians living in Vilnius since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, will be provided with potassium iodide pills when an additional order from the Ministry of Health (MH) is presented. The municipality will inform about this separately.

It is recalled that potassium iodide pills only protect the thyroid gland from the harmful effects of radioactive iodine. These pills should only be taken after a special HM report. With timely consumption of potassium iodide, the thyroid gland is blocked (saturated) with stable iodine preventing the accumulation of inhaled radioactive iodine in it and the damage it causes.

In case of a nuclear accident, the thyroid gland is not protected by any other iodine preparations, either iodine or iodine sprays for oral treatment or iodine supplements.

Vilnius residents are provided with potassium iodide pills before the launch of the Astravets nuclear power plant – preventive measures are intended for people living up to 100 km from it.

Residents who have declared their place of residence in Vilnius district shall apply to the Vilnius District Municipality regarding the procedure for taking potassium iodide pills.

More information: jodas.vilnius.lt