| Serbia Declares Swine Flu Epidemic
Serbian Health Minister Tomica Milosavljevic has announced a
swine flu epidemic in the country, meaning that nation-wide emergency
vaccination can be carried out.
"This act.. is primarily aimed to establish legal requirements
for emergency immunisations. Nothing spectacular that hasn't been
happening these days will occur now that an epidemic has been
declared," the minister said at a press conference Wednesday.
By declaring an epidemic, the government will also be able to
prohibit public gatherings if deemed necessary, as well as give
the power to authorities to carry out special epidemiological
surveillance.
The minister said he took his decision upon the recommendations
of the working group set up to monitor the A/H1N1 virus in the
country.
The country has registered 258 swine flu cases so far and eight
fatalities. The Serbian government has provided additional funds
to purchase three million doses of vaccines against the infection.
The Institute for Health Insurance has announced that a contract
with Swiss company Novartis for the procurement of vaccines is
supposed to be signed on Thursday. The chairman of the Commission
for Procurement of Vaccines, Branislav Tiodorovic, expressed his
hope that most of the vaccine doses will be delivered to Serbia
by the end of January, broadcaster Mtsmondo reports.
Vaccination will initially target priority groups including children,
people with chronic conditions, pregnant women and health and
public employees.
Serbia will be one of the first countries in Europe outside the
EU to start a new vaccination against influenza, which is supposed
to begin in the first half of December, the minister said. About
17 European countries have already started vaccination while another
eight have announced they will do it from November, said Milosavljevic.
Regarding speculations about possible side effects of the vaccine
against swine flu, Assistant Minister of Health Ruzica Nikolic
said that some 40 million people worldwide have been vaccinated
so far without side effects.
Reference Source: balkaninsight.com
November 12, 2009
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