CARICOM Assistant Secretary General, responsible for Human and Social Development, Dr. Edward Greene said yesterday that the quantity of H1N1 vaccines procured by the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) is adequate for the Caribbean region.

Speaking at the Secretariat’s year end press conference, he said: “PAHO has resourced a fair amount of the vaccines that are predicted to be required within the next one year and a half years.

“As for the immediate future, the next 12 to 18 months, there is an adequate amount of vaccines,” he asserted.

The Caribbean region, in collaboration with PAHO, through the revolving fund, established in 1977 for mass procurement for the benefit of several small countries, was able to acquire 200 million doses, also for Latin America.

Of that total, approximately 240,000 doses were to be made available to Guyana. The shipment should have arrived last month but, due to a delay, only 70,000 doses is now expected around December 15.

According to the Ministry of Health Ministry, upon receipt, the vaccines will be given to priority groups, including children under five years old, pregnant women, persons suffering from asthma and health workers.

Meanwhile, Greene said CARICOM is working with international partners to ensure that an adequate supply remains in the Caribbean.

PAHO and the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC) have jointly played an important role in the interventions for H1N1, he informed.

Greene noted that some countries may have to borrow vaccines from each other but he maintained that sufficient are available within the region.

“I don’t think we need to fear about the quantity of vaccines to deal with H1N1 being in shortage,” he assured.

However, he said what is to come after the vaccination is anyone’s guess.

Problems
Greene alluded to the situation in the United States (U.S.) where there are problems even with large volumes of vaccines, if the pandemic is not contained.

He said there needs to be heightened surveillance to address the disease although multi-sectoral work was done to address, for example, HIV/AIDS.

Greene said, over the years, that resulted in the strengthening of health systems which, in turn, have increased their capacity to respond to other epidemics.

More efforts aimed at building capacity to deal with H1N1 locally, include the acquisition of new equipment, costing some $8M, which has been installed at the National Public Health Reference Laboratory (NPHRL).

NPHRL Director, Dr. Colin Roach admitted that there are still some work to be done before the equipment is fully functional.

One aspect entails the training of four staffers from the laboratory who will be tasked with conducting the H1N1 tests.

Roach disclosed that experts from the Atlanta based Centre for Disease Control (CDC), in the U.S., will be in Guyana on January 3, to train the personnel.

He said, once the equipment is operational, tests will be done in this country, eliminating the necessity to send specimens to CAREC in Trinidad and Tobago.

Workers in Guyana’s health sector have been utilising an index of suspicion as the base for collecting specimens to be tested.

Confirmed
Additionally, the number of confirmed H1N1 cases here has been recorded as 23 and, unlike in many other countries, there have been no reported deaths from it.

To date, the Health Ministry has put the focus on the need for citizens to maintain proper hygiene.

Since the H1N1 virus is spread in the same manner as seasonal influenza, the safe hygienic practices, recommended by the CDC, include:

* Covering the nose and mouth with tissue when coughing or sneezing and throwing it into the trash after;

* Washing hands often, with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing;

* Avoid touching the eyes, nose or mouth, as germs are easily spread that way;

* Trying to avoid close contact with sick people and
* Staying at home, if sick, for seven days after symptoms of the illness surface or until you have been symptoms-free for 24 hours, whichever is longer, to keep you from infecting others and spreading the virus further