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UAE May Alter H1N1 Drive Path
DUBAI — The UAE is debating a reordering of priorities in administering the H1N1 vaccine when it resumes the national immunisation campaign after a long Haj and Eid break, according to a senior health official.
The country might not inoculate the entire healthcare workforce in the first phase.
Priority will now be given to those working in the critical care units in hospitals followed by pregnant women, those with chronic diseases or underlying conditions and then children.
“The minor change is expected due to the country’s unique demographic healthcare structure and availability of vaccine,” said the official who did not want to be named.
He, however, added that the decision was not yet finalised and would be debated by the technical committee on H1N1 before being implemented.
“The UAE has a huge number of healthcare workers including both the government and private entities, therefore, we have to decide which high priority groups to vaccinate first,” said the official.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Dr Hassan El Bushra, director of the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, WHO said the health body had not changed its recommendations.
“We have suggested the priority groups but countries can deploy strategies that suit them according to availability of the vaccine,” he said.
He also said that countries could also prioritise vaccination of people essential to businesses such as drivers, bakers or those critical to the food industry or even school children to reduce the transmission rate of the pandemic influenza virus in communities.
According to a WHO consultation document, the decision on who gets vaccinated first will be largely determined by the available amounts of vaccines, the main objective of vaccination and identification of the appropriate target group.
The UAE started the first phase of its immunisation campaign by vaccinating Haj pilgrims after it received the first batch of 40,000 vaccines last month.
The company, GlaxoSmithKline, has promised to deliver the remaining 860,000 vaccines before the year end.
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