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Uruguay will purchase 369,240 influenza vaccines
09.01.2010 | 12.31
The government authorized the purchase of 369,240 doses of vaccines against influenza A H1N1 to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), at a cost of $ 2,696,320. In March will begin the vaccination period.
The text of the resolution has the signature of the President, Tabar? V?zquez, as well as the Ministers of Economy and Public Health.
The resolution said that the purchase is made with the aim of "allowing an adequate attention to the population by the Ministry of Health to combat and prevent diseases caused by this scourge."
It is also noted that PAHO reported that "the availability of resources to finance the purchase of that pandemic vaccine is limited under the existing capital in the revolving fund is set primarily to cover the vaccination requirements of the regular program .
Moreover, the resolution of the Executive states that "urgent need to pay is estimated as the amount advanced to cover the cost of influenza vaccine, under the strong demand from Latin America, and thus ensure the provision of the same with potential prepayment financial benefits.
The deputy director general of Health, Gilberto Rios, told El Espectador that the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean made a purchase in conjunction with PAHO, based on an estimate of local demand.
"It's a mechanism called revolving fund. It is a traditional mechanism that was organized by the Pan American Health Organization, where what you do is collect the orders from all countries of the region and then becomes an international tender. As purchase much larger volumes than a particular country has a better convenience in price, quality controls. After the tender award is the allocation to the countries, according to the amounts that each request. We preferred this way since August and is scheduled this. Countries calculated and based on that each country makes its order. "
Keep in mind that a dose to prevent influenza A H1N1 has an approximate cost of six dollars, while the dose for seasonal influenza costs half. That is why the government offers economic benefits when buying vaccines.
The Ministry of Public Health will begin the vaccination campaign starting in March, before the onset of winter, which is the stage of the year in which there are occurrences of the disease.
Rios said it will seek to achieve 100% coverage of the target before starting the low temperatures.
The population at risk remains the health personnel, those working in essential services, pregnant, morbidly obese, children between six months and four years, as well as people with chronic diseases.
"At the doses that are to acquire, we are looking to cover those people who have demonstrated an increased risk not only of getting the (flu) H1N1, but have the aggravating factors, which many people was. We are concerned primarily those stocks, which were what determined the high use of beds in ICU. These were the obese and pregnant women. For these areas was the mortality of influenza. "
Adults over 65 are not targeted by the vaccine against influenza A H1N1, but what are the seasonal flu vaccine, explained Deputy Director General of Health. "It was demonstrated last winter was not a population that was affected," he said the hierarch.
Cable to note that a vaccine is not compulsory and which is to be provided in public and private schools.
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