Without conducting precise studies on the effectiveness of the injection by experts in the field, the Health Ministry cannot recommend the influenza vaccine to be administered as protection against the flu, Health Services Director General Anil Jasinghe told the media.
He said so addressing the media following an inspection tour of the Galle Karapitiya Teaching Hospital on Wednesday.
“We have a committee of experts to look into the matter pertaining to the control and prevention of epidemics. We are not quite certain of the effectiveness of the vaccine. We do not know exactly how well the influenza (flu) vaccine protects against flu. Sometimes the vaccine maybe effective or on the other hand, it may be nominal,” he said.
“The specialist consultative committee on communicable diseases will take a policy decision over the inclusion of the influenza vaccine into our national immunization programme. We do not need foreign consultations over the matter. We have erudite doctors with expert knowledge on the subject. We will take action as per the instructions of experts. However, the vaccines used under the National Immunization Programme are modified annually. The circulating viruses also change seasonally. This is a complex situation and we cannot arrive at swift decisions. Hence, we need some time to take firm resolution over the problem,” the Director General stated.
Dr. Anil Jasinghe said, “We cannot stop the private medical sections from administering the vaccine. It is a nationally registered injection. As such, we cannot restrict its use.”
“We have already initiated steps to provide equipment for the expansion of the capacity of the existing Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of the hospital. A Cabinet paper had been submitted for the purchase of required clinical gears for the ICU of Karapitiya Teaching Hospital without following general tender procedures, following the intervention by President Maithripala Sirisena and Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne.
“The ministry will provide additional medical staff, including nurses,” he said.
Commenting on the current situation of the epidemic, Dr. Jassinghe assured that there is a substantial decline in the number of patient admissions to hospitals. The same epidemic situation prevailed in the previous years too and the flu is seasonal, he said. “We initiate a number of measures to regulate the spread of seasonal influenza,” he said.
Paediatric Consultant Prof. Sujeewa Amarasinghe also spoke.
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