Swine flu vaccines delayed - Update- Arrival of the H1N1 vaccine March 25.

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Swine flu vaccines delayed

By Stabroek staff | December 20, 2009 in Local News

Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy yesterday said that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that the shipment of H1N1 flu vaccine is now expected in Guyana early next month.

?We will continue to monitor all cases of influenza-like illnesses and our surveillance system is doing meticulous work to ensure early detection of any possible H1N1 infection in the country. Wherever we suspect H1N1 we will send specimens for testing.

?We will also test at our New Public Health Lab,? the minister said in a statement yesterday.

He urged the public to continue to practice good hygiene and for health workers to be on the alert to keep the transmission of the virus at a low level.

Guyana is expecting to receive some 240,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine, which was initially set to arrive in November. The arrival date was later pushed back to this month.

To date, some 26 cases of H1N1 have been confirmed in the country and Minister Ramsammy has said the country is still in a phase of low level transmission.

He said testing is ongoing at the Caribbean Epidemio-logy Centre (CAREC), given that Guyana is going through a verification process before testing can be done here.

Ramsammy said testing here will begin in 2010 since Guyana has acquired the equipment to do testing for the H1N1 virus, but he gave no specific timeframe. He said also that Belize has made a request for assistance in H1N1 testing when it is introduced in Guyana and that the sector intends to accommodate this request.

http://www.stabroeknews.com/2009/stories/12/20/swine-flu-vaccines-delayed/

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Re: Swine flu vaccines delayed

Swine flu vaccines scheduled to arrive on Thursday

March 21, 2010 | By KNews | Filed Under News
? Minister Ramsammy

Although there has been much uncertainty about the arrival of the HINI vaccine (Swine Flu), Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, yesterday confidently confirmed that the anticipated drug is slated to arrive in Guyana on Thursday.

He revealed that the Ministry had previously received a description of three types of vaccines set to arrive by airline service, two of which, Rotavirus and Oral Polio (OPV), arrived last week. However, the arrival of the H1N1 vaccine, he said, is undoubtedly set for March 25.

?We had a bulk of vaccines at the airport. All of the arrival dates for these vaccines came on the same paperwork so we are certain that the H1N1 vaccines will come this week.?

About 75,000 doses of the vaccine are expected to characterise the anticipated arrival, which has been made available to the health sector, compliments of the Pan American Health Organisation. However, Minister

Ramsammy reiterated, yesterday, that the supply will in no way cater to the entire population but will rather be administered to certain vulnerable groups.

Through the identification process, the Minister had revealed that about 160,000 persons will become eligible to receive the H1N1 vaccine.

Among those will be approximately 100,000 children under five years old and about 50,000 persons living with other conditions, for which co-morbidity with the H1N1 virus may prove to be very serious and even fatal.

The latter group, which represents persons with certain chronic conditions, was identified based on the Health Ministry?s observance of other countries? experiences.
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http://www.caribdaily.com/article/269217/swine-flu-vaccines-scheduled-to-arrive-on-thursday/

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Re: Swine flu vaccines delayed - Update- Arrival of the H1N1 vaccine March 25.

H1N1 vaccines due on Thursday

By Stabroek staff | March 22, 2010 in Local News

The long delayed shipment of H1N1 vaccines is expected in the country this week and according to the Ministry of Health, testing has been at a standstill because the number of cases for referrals has been few.

The Health Ministry announced on Saturday that it has received notification of the pending shipment, which is set to arrive this Thursday, some five months after it was due here.

Comprehensive surveillance of the virus continues, the ministry said, noting that referral of suspected cases has been low. ??testing for H1N1 is at a standstill since we have not been able to receive enough referrals for testing,? the ministry said. Additionally, no new cases have been detected for some time and the ministry emphasized this in its statement.

The National Referral Lab is prepared to handle any increase in the number of referrals, the ministry added. Priority groups had been identified for the H1N1 vaccines including children under five and healthcare frontline workers

Guyana has confirmed some 32 cases of H1N1with just around 70 persons being treated for the flu-virus, no deaths were recorded. The threat of the virus has waned within recent months after initially setting off a global pandemic alert.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry also announced that it has received the first doses of rotavirus vaccine and will start immunizing young children who are vulnerable within the coming weeks.
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http://www.stabroeknews.com/2010/stories/03/22/h1n1-vaccines-due-on-thursday/