Department of Health Minister Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川) said yesterday the government had changed its strategy for combating the influenza A(H1N1) from “containing” the virus to “reducing damage” by boosting vaccination measures to guard against a possible epidemic in autumn or winter.
Yeh, who doubles as head of the Central Epidemics Command Center, made the remarks after a Cabinet-level meeting on A(H1N1) prevention measures called by Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄).
The government will have adequate vaccines and influenza antiviral drugs ready by fall, Yeh said.
“Anyone wanting to get vaccinated would be able to receive injections, while anyone infected with the flu and in need of medicine would be given medicine,” he said.
The government plans to prepare 10 million doses of the vaccine against swine flu, with 2.5 million purchased from abroad and 7.5 million doses to be produced by local companies.
“We have placed an order of 2.5 million doses to nine countries, which have acquired the WHO’s tacit approval to produce the vaccines. They will be ready by September. And we hope to get the supply from local producers from October,” Yeh said.
Frontline medical personnel, epidemic prevention workers, the elderly and others at higher risk of contracting the virus will receive priority access to the vaccines brought from abroad, while anyone who wants to get vaccinated will be able to receive injections by December, Yeh said.
Yeh said the vaccines would be free, but people have to pay for the registration and diagnosis fees charged by medical institutions.
With regard to the influenza antiviral drugs, Yeh said the government has purchased 900,000 doses of Relenza, 1 million doses of Tamiflu and 60,000 tonnes of shikimic acid — enough material to produce Tamiflu for 2 million to 3 million people.
In addition, the government has prepared 5 million vaccine doses against seasonal flu, 1.8 million more than the normal volume, he said.
Meanwhile, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) yesterday asked the central government to give her city a bigger subsidy to build shelters for those who test positive for swine flu during the World Games in July.
Chen said Kaohsiung planned to build nine centers to quarantine confirmed cases of A(H1N1), including one at the city’s Training and Employment Center and another one at the military barracks at Shaokang (少康營區).
The plan is expected to cost a total of NT$600 million (US$18.2 million), but the central government has only given the city government a subsidy of NT$30 million because it believes the flu outbreak is under control, she said.
Chen said that with the games approaching, the city needed to be prepared against a potential outbreak, adding that a lack of the shelters could seriously affect the willingness of international athletes to travel to Taiwan and could draw condemnation from other countries.
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