Tue, Jan 12, 2010 page2

• Mixed message on return of surplus vaccine doses

  TARGET The CDC said last week that it hoped 30 percent of the population would be vaccinated against A(H1N1) by the start of the Lunar New Year break

  • STAFF WRITER, WITH CNA
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  The nation’s health authorities appear to be at odds on whether to return some doses of influenza A(H1N1) vaccine.

  Centers for Disease Control (CDC) deputy director-general Shih Wen-yih (施文儀) yesterday said the Department of Health (DOH) was considering whether to return some of the 4.85 million doses of vaccine scheduled to be delivered later this month to avoid wasting vaccine because of the low immunization rate.

  Although the public now has a choice between locally produced and imported vaccines, the immunization rate has not risen since the imported vaccine became available at the weekend, he said, adding that fewer than 7,000 people received the vaccine on Saturday and Sunday, of whom 4,400 chose the Swiss company’s Novartis vaccine, while 2,400 opted for Taiwan’s Adimmune product. Last week, the H1N1 immunization rate was about 20,000 people per weekday, CDC data showed.

  DOH Minister Yaung Chih-liang (楊志良) said at a separate setting yesterday that he had not considered returning the vaccines because of concern about potential future epidemics.

  “I have no idea whether the contract with Novartis or Adimmune would allow us to do so [return vaccines], but it is not the proper time to discuss this issue because there is the potential for epidemics in September or October,” Yaung said when approached by reporters to comment on Shih’s remarks.

  Yaung said it was impossible to predict when the next influenza peak would arrive and so the CDC would adopt a cautious approach on the matter.

  “I’d rather we have enough vaccine in stock than returning them simply because of a concern that they might go to waste,” Yaung said. “We should be prepared for all situations.”

  CDC Director Steve Kuo (郭旭崧) said there is no clear return policy in the vaccine procurement contract. So far, fewer than 6 million people have been inoculated, he said, adding that health authorities would explore the possibility of returning surplus vaccine doses.

  Some 2 million doses of the Adimmune vaccine and 2.85 million doses of the Novartis product will be delivered in the middle of this month, the CDC said.

  As very few people have been seeking the H1N1 shots recently, the vaccine is not being offered on a daily basis unless there are specific numbers of registrants, said Lin Yin-jan (林應然) and Shih hsien-yen (石賢彥), two doctors who run clinics in Taipei City.

  As the vaccine must be used within 24 hours after a vial is opened, most hospitals and clinics require individuals to register in advance for the flu shot.

  Adimmune has started to follow Novartis’ lead, by packaging the vaccine in 10-dose vials, but most of the local vaccines still come in 40-dose vials. To avoid waste, the number of daily reservations for the vaccines has been reduced, the doctors said.

  With the immunization drive slowing in the wake of some highly publicized cases of serious side effects from the Adimmune vaccine, the DOH decided earlier this month to offer a choice between the Adimmune and Novartis vaccines.

  The CDC said last week it hoped the immunization rate would rise to 30 percent of the population by the beginning of the Lunar New Year holiday next month.

  ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JIMMY CHUANG
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