With swine flu cases in the country crossing the 10,000 mark and deaths mounting to 663 this year till February 17, the Health Ministry is looking at the option of introducing a “single-shot” vaccine to treat the deadly disease if the rising trend does not subside in the next few days. The Ministry has asked vaccine manufacturers and suppliers to ramp up their production and stocks to meet any emergency situation.
So far, the Ministry has maintained the vaccination would cover only frontline health workers and there are no plans to recommend vaccination for the general public. But sources say the Ministry might soon call for vaccination of the high-risk category group such as the elderly and children below five years of age. The move comes a day after the Ministry asked chemists to stock Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) tablets in sufficient amounts. The Ministry wants to ensure there are adequate stocks of the vaccine and the Government is not found wanting in case the virus takes on epidemic proportions.
So far, the contagious disease is treated with Tamiflu tablet as per the doctor’s advise after the onset of the disease and not as a preventive drug, as that hampers treatment. The disease is spreading with alarming speed and by February 17 a total 10,025 cases have been reported from across the country. The sources said that the Drug Controller General of India, GN Singh, on Tuesday wrote to manufacturers and suppliers of the vaccine asking them to “take all necessary measures to ensure that there is adequate supply of H1N1 vaccine and trivalent seasonal influenza vaccine in the country particularly in the affected areas.” Telangana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra are some of the worst-hit States as of now.
Pune-based Serum Institute of India, Panacea Biotec ltd in Solan, Bharat Biotech International ltd, Novartis Healthcare Pvt ltd, Glaxo SmithKline Pharma, Sanofi Pasteur India and Abbott India ltd have been approached by the Ministry to ensure adequate supply of the vaccine in case or urgency. To begin with, people suffering from diabetes, children below five years of age, the elderly above 60 years, post-transplant patients, chronic kidney patients, pregnant and post-partum women, who have been identified as being at high-risk, might be considered for vaccination. The vaccine has to be administered under the supervision of registered medical practitioners. At present the trivalent vaccine available in the market is said to be effective against three strains of flu virus responsible for causing both H1N1 and the seasonal flu (H3N2 strain).