The swing in trends of vaccine uptake made it very difficult for the government to estimate the precise amount it needed to order, Primary Health director Denis Vella Baldacchino said yesterday.
Speaking at the launch of this year’s seasonal influenza vaccine, Dr Vella Baldacchino said the number of people who took the jab varied from year to year, especially with the threats of Asian and swine flu strains in recent years prompting more people to do so. This meant extra vaccines were thrown away at the end of the influenza season at a big cost to the country.
The difference in trends made it hard for the government to estimate how many jabs it needed to order, he said, pointing out that if vaccines were under-ordered, it would be very hard to procure more once the season set in. Moreover, the campaign was still cost effective in the long run due to the avoidance of expensive-to-treat complications and sick-leave taken because of the flu.
Between 2005 and 2009, a total of 475,000 jabs were ordered but 57,136 of them had to be dumped. At an average cost of about €3 per jab, the government forked out a total of €1.5 million for the seasonal vaccine over the five-year period, according to figures seen by The Times.
This year, the government has ordered about 85,000, jabs costing €250,750.
The management of the swine flu threat last year was scrutinised by critics who raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest among international experts and the influence the drug industry may have had on the decision to place huge orders for special vaccines against H1N1. In August, the World Health Organisation revealed that five of the 15 experts who had advised it about swine flu pandemic alerts had received support from the drugs industry.
During the launch of this winter’s vaccine, Parliamentary Secretary Mario Galea and the director of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Charmaine Gauci injected each other with the vaccine to appeal to the public to follow suit.
“This is the first time I am taking it,” Mr Galea said, pointing out it had not been wise of him to miss it as he was asthmatic and should have known better.
Stressing the importance of the campaign, the Health Department’s other promotional messages about hygiene and safety seem to have gone astray as no gloves were in sight while they were administering the vaccine and the sharp needles were not immediately disposed of in a “sharps box” used to minimise handling of pointy needles.
Urging people to take the vaccine, Mr Galea said the seasonal influenza was more lethal than H1N1 because its complications mainly affected elderly people, whose immunity might be low.
Speaking before receiving the jab at the Health Ministry, in Valletta, Dr Gauci said seasonal influenza, which prevailed between October and May, was expected to peak around December this year.
This influenza spread quickly and the most vulnerable were the elderly and people with medical conditions who could suffer from many complications, including pneumonia. It is estimated that, in the EU, it killed between 20,000 and 40,000 people each year.
People who receive the jab took two weeks to fully build immunity. The vaccine was the most effective way of decreasing the symptoms of influenza, Dr Gauci said, emphasising there was a big difference between the common cold and the flu.
The seasonal flu jab will be available from Monday in primary health centres and most local councils.
People entitled to the free jab include all those over 55 years, children aged between six months and four years and people suffering from chronic conditions. It can also be bought from most pharmacies for about €7.50.