Vaccines for 90 per cent of population

The government has taken a number of measures to prepare for the influenza pandemic, which experts believe could hit the entire world.

Health Minister Louis Deguara yesterday announced that the country would be getting 350,000 doses of the vaccine for the pandemic strain when this is available.

The government will also be following the World Health Organisation's recommendations and stocking up on the antiviral Tamiflu for 25 per cent of the population.

Antivirals will be crucial during the pandemic, since when taken within 48 hours from the onset of symptoms, they shorten the period of illness, reduce the severity of symptoms and could lead to a reduction in complications.

Speaking during the first press conference to specifically address the issue, Dr Deguara said the antivirals would arrive in Malta in two batches - the first towards the end of this year and the second batch next year.

He said the pandemic is expected to affect 25 per cent of the population, and has a mortality rate of five per cent.

Although there is no certainty that the annual influenza jab - which people take at the end of summer to give them immunity against influenza strains of the upcoming season - could be effective against the pandemic influenza, WHO has still recommended it since some protection could be offered. Up to last year people aged 65 years and over as well as those who suffer from chronic diseases were offered the vaccine for free, but the government has decided to lower the coverage age to 55, the lowest in Western Europe.

Others people who are not entitled to take the jab for free will not go amiss by taking it privately.

These vaccines - which are different from the vaccines which are specific to the influenza pandemic strain - will start arriving in Malta at the end of September. The minister said the first batch will be of 45,000 vaccines. The second batch - 35,000 - is expected at the end of October, while the Health Division is expecting a confirmation as to when the last batch will arrive next Tuesday.

The first people to be vaccinated will be health care workers, the police and the armed forces, since these will be at the forefront during a pandemic.

Director general of Health Ray Busuttil said in previous years the country had ordered between 27,000 and 30,000 doses of vaccine for the annual epidemic, because although there were around 110,000 eligible for the vaccine, most did not go to take it. However, he said, the probability was that a greater number of those eligible for the vaccine would take it this year since there is high awareness about the upcoming pandemic. This has led the government to place an order for 150,000 doses, which would basically cover all those eligible.

Dr Deguara explained that when the tender for this winter's influenza vaccines was awarded, the importer was also contract-bound to provide the Maltese government with the vaccines for the pandemic influenza as soon as these are available.

The vaccine for the pandemic will only be available some months after the pandemic starts. The first step is for WHO to identify the strain which is causing the pandemic, and produce the seed virus. When the seed virus is available, pharmaceutical companies can start mass producing the vaccines. Sources told The Times that it would take around eight months from the start of the pandemic for the vaccines to be available in Malta.

If the pandemic would have already have hit Malta before the vaccines arrive, antivirals would have a major role. Although the government will be stocking up for 25 per cent of the population, the antivirals will be available in the private sector later this year, and people can buy them against a prescription.

Dr Busuttil pointed out that one of the reasons that the authorities ordered vaccines for 90 per cent of the population instead of for everyone was because there are some people who would not be able to take the vaccine for medical reasons. He said that from an epidemiological point of view vaccinating such a high percentage of the population would create a herd immunity, which would reduce the chance of the rest of the population getting the virus.

Another recommendation by WHO that the local government is acting upon is the procurement of testing kits which would enable the identification of the virus. The possibility that certain countries do the testing for others has been excluded since when the pandemic hits, each country would be too busy with its own work. Government Pharmaceutical Services director Anna Mallia said the tender for the supply of these kits has been advertised, and closes next month.

In order to provide information to the public, a leaflet with frequently asked questions about the influenza pandemic has been compiled and is available online on the Health Ministry's website - www.health.gov.mt. Moreover, the government has set up an influenza pandemic information line - 2132 4086 - available between Monday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. where people can phone to make enquiries.

Facts and figures

¤ The government has ordered 350,000 doses of vaccine for the strain which will be causing the pandemic, enough for 90 per cent of the population.

¤ People aged 55 years and over will this year be eligible to take the annual influenza jab for free. This is not the same as the vaccine, which is specifically for the influenza pandemic, and although there is no certainty that it would be effective against the pandemic influenza, it could still offer some protection.

¤ Antivirals for 25 per cent of the population have been ordered - half of the lot will arrive in Malta by the end of this year, while the rest will arrive next year. Antivirals are taken within 48 hours from the onset of symptoms. They should not be taken before symptoms start, and it is imperative that a patient is tested by a doctor to ensure that he or she has influenza before taking the antivirals.

¤ It is important for people to distinguish between the common cold and influenza. The common cold is usually a head cold with some respiratory symptoms attached, while influenza hits suddenly and is accompanied by high temperature and aches and pains.