City short of key vaccine

Wednesday June 4 2008 12:51 IST (Repro from Newindpress)

G Saravanan

CHENNAI: Travellers planning to visit African, West Indian and South American countries, endemic to yellow fevers may have to postpone their plans, since the Government authorised centres in the city to administer the yellow fever vaccines are running out of stock.

The vaccination is mandatory to visit the yellow fever endemic 33 countries in Africa, 11 countries in South America and a few in the West indies.

The centres, Port Health Office on Rajaji Salai near Parrys Corner and King Institute in Guindy, that can give the vaccination certificate, have gone dry.

According to Port Health Officer, V V Sairam Babu, “Our stock got exhausted last week and I spoke to my higher officials in New Delhi regarding new shipment. But it is not clear when will we get the fresh vaccines, as the government imports these vaccine from European countries.”

“On an average, about 250 persons come to Port Health Office for vaccination every month, and I am getting regular phone calls about the availability of the vaccine from southern districts,” he added.

Yellow fever vaccination is required for travelling to almost all African countries, a few Latin American countries and a few West Indian countries like Angola, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, etc.
FOLLOW UP:
Yellow fever vaccine doses arrived
Chennai, July 02:
Nearly 600 doses of yellow fever vaccination have arrived at the Port Health Office, one of the two centres in the city that can give the vaccination certificate, mandatory to visit the yellow fever endemic 33 countries in Africa, 11 countries in South America and a few in the West Indies.
According to Port Health Officer, DR V V Sairam Babu, the centre has received 600 doses from Kasauli a day ago. ``I want to clear the backlog of visitors, created after the doses gone dry during the first week of June,'' he added.
The dose will be administed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, he further added.