Take vaccine or throw it!

Centre refuses to take back H1N1 vaccine imported for docs; state to renew inoculation effort

The Centre has instructed state health authorities to make health workers take the swine flu vaccine imported for them or throw it in the bin, but not send it back.

Medical workers are reluctant to take the vaccine, and authorities are left staring at thousands of leftover doses that will simply go waste if not used by October.

In the first week of April, the Centre sent the state 34,300 doses of a French H1N1 vaccine it had specially imported for doctors, nurses and paramedics.

As the medical fraternity in the state showed great resistance towards taking the vaccine, less than 2,600 doses were used in three months.

"We wrote to the Centre that it should take back the leftover stock and use it in other states, as doctors here were reluctant despite several requests. But two days ago the central authorities wrote to us saying that they won't take back the doses and we have to distribute it in the next two to three months," said Dr V M Kulkarni, assistant director of state health services.

Use-by date nears
Kulkarni added that the state currently has 31,700 doses in stock and these will expire
by October.

"This leaves us with barely a few months to finish off stocks. We have already dispatched letters to heads of major hospitals and even health officers to persuade doctors to take the vaccine," said Kulkarni.

During a review meeting held last week, health officials were asked to come up with strategies to popularise the vaccine.

"Short of forcibly injecting the vaccine, we have been asked to use all sorts of persuasion tactics," said a senior official from the state health department. "Swine flu is on the rise, so it is all the more necessary to push doctors to get vaccinated."

Dr C A Kante, in-charge of swine flu control room, said, "We will be starting afresh with a Phase II of vaccination. Given the expiry date by October, doses might be distributed to smaller districts if medicos in major cities in state aren't ready to take the vaccine shots."