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Murcia Region
Who remembers the influenza A?
20.04.10 - 00:55 - J. P. PARRA | MURCIA.
More than 137,000 doses being stored cost almost one million euros and expire in August. Health care is still unused in their warehouses more than half of the 137,000 vaccines. Vaccines against influenza A sit in dust stored warehouses of the Ministry of Health waiting for a destination that probably will be none other than the garbage once in August, met its expiration date. The H1N1 virus epidemic media months ago that left the region, its incidence was lower than expected and no major problems, and health authorities do not know what to do with the doses likely bought in bulk to immunize the population. The Autonomous Region received through the Ministry, 232,660 doses. Of these, only 95,000 have been administered (40%) as a first estimate.
The remaining regions are in a similar situation. Spain acquired 13.5 million doses but, according to calculations that were made public in January, only 3 million have been used. In addition, another 24 million were set aside, but failed to buy and the central government could cancel.
Experts see no way out of this large 'stock'. They talked about donating or 'resell' to developing countries, but that, although it is "practicable" would generate a high cost, because transportation is not easy. "We must maintain the cold chain," says Jos? Antonio Navarro, head of the Prevention of Counseling. Nor does it appear that the alleged recipient countries with an interest in receiving this shipment. Mainly because of the forthcoming flu season will be as effective as implementing a new vaccine to immunize a single dose against both the H1N1 virus strains A and anti-known as 'seasonal'. The same will happen in Spain. "The most logical and reasonable that the industry develop a trivalent vaccine" that includes the strains predicted by the World Health Organization (WHO), will begin to circulate in Europe after the summer. In any case, the revocation of the vaccines stored in Murcia is "August 2010", said Navarro, thus its use in the fall is completely discarded.
Two million
The Department spent about two million euros in the campaign of influenza vaccination, according to data provided by the Administration. The more than 137,000 remain stored vaccines expire in August and cost about one million euros. The figures are not final because it was the Ministry who bought directly to industry, and has yet to pass the bill to the autonomous communities.
Neither has yet done the definitive statement on the coverage of the vaccination campaign, but it seems clear that most of Murcia to whom it was addressed, chronically ill, pregnant women and essential-service staff decided not to go by their health center to receive the jab. Health sent a letter to 207,000 chronically ill. They are must add the thousands of health workers, members of security bodies and forces, fire brigade. But that huge amount of potential recipients only went to the call of some 95,000 health authorities.
The data are no better in the rest of Spain. Catalonia has returned to the Ministry 1.2 million doses, after only 20% of the target population were vaccinated. In other countries the situation will repeat, but worse. France bought 90 million doses, enough to immunize the entire population, but only one out of ten ended vaccinated