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| India to procure flu vaccine from abroad: Azad |
| Press Trust of India / New Delhi Aug 10, 2009, 20:15 IST |
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Swine flu vaccines would be procured from international companies to immunise medical and para-medical staff involved in treating and testing patients for the disease.
"As of now, in India, we are not expecting the vaccine to be ready before December-January, so in case any international company begins manufacturing it before October, we would buy it and provide the same to our para-medical and medical staff," Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad told reporters here.
In India, three companies were in the process of manufacturing the vaccine, out of which one is already conducting animal trials, he said but added they were not expected to produce the vaccine before December-January.
"To ensure fast-track production of the vaccines, it was decided that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) would harmonise animal trials of the vaccines being developed by these companies," Azad said.
The companies which are producing vaccines in India are the Serum Institute, Bharat Biotech and Panacea.
The health minister said the WHO has estimated that worldwide, 30 per cent of people would be afflicted by the swine flu virus and added that India has managed to contain the disease which is evident by the number of people affected as compared to the country's large population.
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