H1N1 vaccine for Guyana expected next year

Dec 19, 2009 News

The much anticipated arrival of the H1N1 vaccine (swine flu) for Guyana is now expected to arrive in the country some time next month. This is according to Minister of Health; Dr. Leslie Ramsammy.
The Health Minister told Kaieteur News yesterday that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has informed him that it is experiencing some amount of delay in the shipment of the 240,000 doses of vaccine slated for Guyana.
However, the he noted that the WHO did not state what is causing the delay.
Dr. Ramsammy explained that while Guyana is not in dire need of the vaccine, the pressure needs to be continuously placed on the WHO to ensure that the vaccine is delivered.
Kaieteur News understands that in the Caribbean, only Trinidad and Tobago has received a batch of the vaccine, but the difference is, that country procured it separately and not through the WHO.
Minister Ramsammy hopes that this further delay in the shipment does not have any severe impact on the H1N1 situation in the country. He told this newspaper that Guyana continues to have a low transmission level of the virus, as the situation is ‘under control.’
However, he added that the Health Ministry remains vigilant, as testing of specimens will continue and the health workers will continue to work towards early diagnosis of the virus.
Testing for the virus will also be done at the New Public Health Laboratory. Kaieteur News had previously reported that the vaccines did not arrive in Guyana on December 15, as was scheduled.
At his last press conference, Minister Ramsammy had expressed his disappointment in the continued delay in Guyana receiving the vaccine.
The Ministry of Health was in active arrangement with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), WHO and the Revolving Fund, of which it is part, in order to procure the vaccine.
However, procuring this vaccine is not an easy task for Guyana, since huge contracts have already been signed by the developed countries for more than three quarter of what will be produced.
“America alone will buy it up…They already signed contracts and paid for it and we are not going to be able to pay for that upfront,” Minister Ramsammy had stated at one of his press conferences.
Minister Ramsammy had explained that the Caribbean, Central America and South America, depending on whether there will be one dose or two doses, will probably need between 400 and 500 million doses of the vaccine if they are going to vaccinate the entire population.
Those who will be receiving the vaccine when it arrives in the country include children less than five years of age, pregnant women, the elderly and persons with certain existing health conditions that will make them vulnerable.
The Health Ministry is also considering targeting groups based on their occupation, such as health care providers, those employed at the airport and security personnel.
At this time, Guyana does not have the resources to vaccinate the entire population. If 500,000 people were to be vaccinated, it would cost the Ministry of Health another $800 million in procurement cost.

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H1N1 vaccine for Guyana expected next year

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