News

Maldives yet to receive flu vaccines from WHO

Maldives government is yet to receive the 30,000 Influenza vaccines promised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), health ministry said Thursday.

State health minister Dr Aishath Rameela who is the head of the Health Protection Agency (HPA) told the parliamentary government oversight committee on Wednesday that the WHO is yet to send the vaccines promised to the Maldives following the recent outbreak of swine flu in the archipelago.

However, WHO had sent 750 influenza vaccines for the elderly two days ago, Rameela added.

"So far we haven't received those vaccines. But two days ago we got 750 vaccines for the elderly. But as most of the people over the age of 65 had received the vaccines, we've got a good quantity left. We won't sell them," she explained.

According to the most recent statistics, over 170,000 vaccines had been brought in, out of which 96,000 were for the health ministry. So far over 56,000 vaccines had been sent to the Atolls and HPA said it has maintained a healthy stock of the vaccine.