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With no takers, vaccines sent back to Centre as October expiry date looms

The state Public Health Department has returned nearly 7,300 swine flu vaccines to the Union Health Ministry.
This, after having left no stone unturned to try and use up the injectable doses which the Union ministry had dispatched as part of its anti-swine flu campaign.

NO TAKERS: In Mumbai, 1,200 doses were supplied to public and private hospitals tackling H1N1, of which only 871 were consumed. FILE PIC

The state had received 34,300 doses from the Centre, of which 18,000 were consumed. Initially, nearly 15,000 health professionals from public hospitals had agreed to get themselves vaccinated. However, while a few of them did go ahead with it, sources said that a majority did not end up doing so, citing fear of side-effects. The Guillain Barre Syndrome is said to be a side-effect of many vaccines.

This, and a few other factors, paralysed the state's plan to inoculate maximum health professionals.

"Another apprehension that the medical community had against the vaccine was the shorter immunity period," said director of Haffkine Institute, Dr Abhay Chaudhary. "Also, there is a strong possibility of the H1N1 strain to mutate every two to three years and in such case the vaccine would not help."

It was only last month that the state stepped up its efforts to use up the vaccines.

A senior health official attributed this to the fact that the H1N1 outbreak situation was expected to be five weeks at the very most.

"This year, the maximum number of cases were recorded in July and the chances of more cases surfacing was minimal in August," the official said. "So, many doctors preferred not to get jabbed."

MiD DAY had earlier reported that the state, in an attempt to use up the vaccines, even made it available to private hospitals tackling swine flu cases but failed in its efforts.

In Mumbai, 1,200 doses were supplied to public and private hospitals tackling H1N1, of which only 871 were consumed.

"We are left with around 130 doses and I plan to return them to the state as there are not many takers," said Dr Mangala Gomare, in charge of immunisation in the BMC.

Assistant Director of state Health Services, Dr V M Kulkarni, said, "About 4,000 doses are still lying with district officials. If they are not consumed, we will return them to the Centre as the expiry date for the vaccines is October."