Over 34,000 doctors on vaccination list; authorities consider putting children on priority list too
Over 34,000 doctors on vaccination list; authorities consider putting children on priority list too
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After months of waiting, an imported swine flu vaccine will finally arrive in Pune this week. The vaccine will be made available to doctors and paramedical staff involved in handling H1N1 patients.
Priced about Rs 300 per shot, the vaccine has been imported by the Health Ministry from French pharmaceutical major Sanofi Pasteur.
MiD DAY was the first to report in January that nearly 35,000 doctors in the state would be getting an international vaccine as the desi vaccine would not be ready until mid-2010, and high-risk groups such as doctors can't wait until then.
Speaking to MiD DAY, a senior official in the health department said it was also being considered whether children should be given the imported H1N1 vaccine.
"It is seen that the paediatric population is most susceptible to the swine flu virus and maximum deaths have occurred among the student population. While infection control is an important aspect, there is also a thought whether we should make the back-up vaccine available to them."
The state health minister has even asked Sassoon hospital authorities to submit a report on whether the vaccine should be given to schoolchildren.
In Gujarat, Dr S J Gandhi, nodal officer for swine flu, said that schoolchildren and pregnant women are included in the list of high-risk people who should get the imported vaccine.
Dr V D Khanande, state nodal officer for swine flu, said he wasn't aware of the exact date, but knew the vaccine was arriving soon.
Dr Pradeep Awate, senior officer in the swine flu control room, said he had heard theu00a0 vaccine would be arriving this week in the city.
A list of 34,215 doctors in public and private hospitals has been made and they will be given the imported H1N1 vaccine. Currently, about 109 hospitals across the state are involved in the treatment of swine flu patients. Twenty-four of these hospitals are in Pune.
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