Vaccine manufacturer Adimmune Corp yesterday said that there were no problems with the quality of the eggs used to produce its A(H1N1) vaccine amid suspicions that contaminated eggs may have been responsible for severe side effects suffered by some who received the vaccine.
Adimmune president Ignatius Wei (魏逸之) said the eggs were supplied by two chicken farms that met specifications. The farms were inspected twice by the Department of Health’s (DOH) Bureau of Food and Drug Analysis and passed inspection on both occasions, he said.
The eggs produced by the farms passed all nine required tests, including salmonella levels, avian flu infection and antibiotic residues, Wei said.
He said that before the immunization program was launched, about 30 people had died from the swine flu strain, but the fatalities had since dropped significantly thanks to the vaccine.
Wei said the company had produced more than 40 batches of vaccine, each using 130,000 eggs, adding that the number of cases of side effects would have been higher if there had been problems with the eggs or packaging.
DOH statistics showed that since the start of the immunization program last month, 424 of the 4.81 million people who have been vaccinated have developed serious side effects.
This included a seven-year-old boy who died on Monday after being vaccinated last month.
With doubts about the safety of the vaccine mounting, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) asked the DOH yesterday to make public the origin of the eggs used to produce the vaccine and the results of the tests on the eggs.
However, head of the Bureau of Pharmaceutical Affairs, Kang Jaw-jou (康照洲), said that before doing so, the department would need to determine whether it could legally make the information public, as the egg farms are under the supervision of the Council of Agriculture, not the DOH.
Meanwhile, Department of Health Minister Yaung Chih-liang (楊志良) said yesterday that the department would consider making survey forms available to people who have received the H1N1 flu vaccine as a means of tracking side effects or any other problems.
Yaung told the legislature that the agency would ask people who have been vaccinated to provide information that would give health authorities a better understanding of the problems related to the immunization program.
Yaung made the suggestion in response to DPP Legislator Huang Sue-ying’s (黃淑英) criticism of DOH officials’ “bad attitude” in immediately denying that symptoms, side effects and even a death had anything to do with the H1N1 vaccination.”
Yaung said the DOH would set up a special task force of experts from the medical and legal fields to address controversies related to inoculation complaints.
In related news, Centers for Disease Control Director-General Steve Kuo (郭旭崧) said yesterday that pregnant women should consult their obstetricians before receiving the vaccine.
He made the statement after four cases involving pregnant women were reported. Two of the women had stillbirths and two had miscarriages after receiving the vaccine.
At a separate setting, Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) requested that the DOH raise public confidence in the vaccine’s safety to reduce the possibility that people would either choose not to receive, or delay getting, the H1N1 vaccine, which could lead to spread of the flu.
“The transmission of the flu has slowed recently, as shown by a decline in several indicators, but we should not lower our guard against a possible outbreak,” Government Information Office Minister Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) quoted Wu as saying at the weekly Cabinet meeting yesterday.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JIMMY CHUANG AND SHIH HSIU-CHUAN
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
RSS