Over 88,000 doses of the H1N1 Pandemic Flu vaccine will be made available from tomorrow (29/04) to all health care providers and anyone that is at higher risk for H1N1 Flu because of chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems.
Permanent Secretary for Health Dr Sala Saketa will launch the campaign at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva tomorrow morning.
The Ministry of Health has received over 88,000 doses of the H1N1 Pandemic Flu vaccine for the vaccination of identified priority groups in Fiji, thanks to the World Health Organisation and AUSAID. Because of the limited number of available vaccines, the focus is on providing the vaccine to those people considered at highest risk of serious illness from the H1N1 Pandemic flu.
As Fiji prepares to experience the cold season in the coming months, it is important to provide the vaccine to as many vulnerable people as possible. Hence, those that fit in this priority classification are encouraged to take time to visit their nearest health facility and get vaccinated against the H1N1 Pandemic flu.
Among the priority groups as recommended by WHO is the country’s frontline health care workers, which includes nurses, allied health workers, doctors, medical and nursing students, and administrative staff. These are people, although not at increased risk of serious illness, are at risk of transmitting the H1N1 virus to vulnerable individuals who may come into contact with them at the hospital environment.
The other vulnerable population groups in this priority listing are all pregnant mothers and anyone with an underlying medical or chronic condition that includes weakened immune systems, long-term health problems such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, kidney or liver disease, anaemia and other blood disorders, certain muscle or nerve disorders such as cerebral palsy, or children with disabilities. These are people potentially at increased risk of serious illness or complications from the H1N1 Pandemic flu.
Based on current low-key surveillance activity, there are no confirmed H1N1 flu cases and hence the level of activity may be very low in Fiji and the region. However, with the unpredictable nature of the flu, it is very important that anyone in these identified target groups get vaccinated in the next six weeks to guard against a possible wave of the H1N1 Pandemic flu this cold season.
It must be noted that this vaccination campaign does not protect against the common seasonal influenza as this vaccine is very specific only for the H1N1 Pandemic Flu, initially referred to as Swine Flu when it began spreading around the globe in 2009. Fiji does not possess or use any vaccine against the seasonal influenza as in other nearby countries such as Australia and New Zealand.
The H1N1 Pandemic Flu vaccine is as safe and effective as the ordinary seasonal flu vaccine and is developed using the same process as seasonal vaccine. Flu vaccines have consistently had excellent safety records over the last several years, as documented in multi-year studies. The H1N1 vaccine is the best way to prevent and protect against the Pandemic (Swine) flu, hence the Ministry of Health is urging all those in these identified groups to protect themselves and their families by getting the H1N1 flu vaccine now.
The US based Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which conducts surveillance for vaccine-related adverse events, issued a report 4th December 2009 on the safety of the H1N1 vaccines that found no substantial differences between the safety of the H1N1 vaccines and that of seasonal flu vaccines.
Public health officials emphasise that getting a H1N1 vaccine is much safer than getting the flu with the latter having the potential to cause serious complications, even death amongst vulnerable groups. From April 2009 until end of last year, H1N1 flu infected at least over 200 people in Fiji even though there were very few hospitalisations and no fatalities. We do not know how many cases of flu there will be in the coming cold season, but we do know that the H1N1 vaccine is the best way to protect vulnerable people.
This vaccination campaign is conducted at major health centres around the country as this is where all the vulnerable groups can be accessed easily – patients with underlying medical conditions coming for their usual clinics. Even the private health sector will be provided with these vaccines for patients who access their services. There will not be any outreach H1N1 flu clinics conducted outside the health facility.