The country is facing an acute shortage of Yellow Fever vaccine leading to it being sold in the black market by private retailers and creating problems for those travelling to African nations.
However, the government today said it has received 60,000 doses and supplied them to vaccination centres in the four metros. It expressed the hope that the situation will be normal within a week.
According to the Health Ministry, the shortage is due to breakdown of equipment at Central Research Institute, Kasauli, and interruption in supply of import through WHO due to global shortfall. Users are finding it difficult to get the vaccine ever since.
The vaccine is compulsory for all those travelling to African nations, after WHO held a consultation on yellow fever saying the threat of introduction of Yellow Fever into Asia was very real in the age of faster air travel.
The Health Ministry said the supplies arrived in Mumbai port and samples were sent for quality control certification to CRI on July 18.
"... Yellow Fever vaccine has been supplied to all the Yellow fever vaccination centres in four metros today. Regular vaccination at all the government centres is expected to be normal within this week," a Ministry statement said.
The government has also placed an order with WHO for 2.57 lakh doses.
"This supply order is yet to be received. As per WHO, supplies are expected in the second week of August," the statement said.
Due to shortage of the vaccine, it is being sold in the black market by private retailers, leading to problems for those travelling to African nations.
Yellow fever is endemic in 44 countries, 23 of which are in African continent and 11 in South American continent. Though India is free from the disease, people visiting endemic countries can get protection by immunisation by vaccination.
A single dose of 0.5 ml vaccine provides lifelong immunity and repeated visits do not require fresh vaccinations. The total annual demand of yellow fever vaccine for the country is around 1.8 lakh doses.
The government has approved 27 yellow fever vaccination centres in the country.
