DOH: 1st recipient to get shot of A(H1N1)vaccine Monday

The Health Department will administer the first injection of the long-awaited A(H1N1) vaccine this Monday, Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral said Saturday. But Cabral said they have already deployed the vaccines to other areas in the country, especially those considered still vulnerable to the disease. “Ngayon naka-deploy ito sa hospitals. Sa Lunes magkakaroon ng unang injection (We have deployed the vaccines to the hospitals. We expect to administer the first injection on Monday)," Cabral said on government-run dzRB radio. Cabral also said she expects the administering of the vaccines will continue even after the transition to a new administration by end-June. She said her department is composed of career workers who know their job regardless of what administration they serve. “Alam nila ang gagawin nila (They know their jobs)," she said. Last Tuesday, Dr. Marie Jocelyn Te, regional coordinator for A(H1N1) in Western Visayas, said priority targets include public and private health workers. Other priority targets are pregnant women, children below five years old, persons 60 years old and above, and those with chronic illnesses like HIV, diabetes, and asthma. Te said the vaccination will be administered voluntarily and free of charge in all government hospitals and rural health centers and clinics in the region. A(H1N1) vaccination is the government’s response to reduce the impact of the pandemic which is a virus caused by the re-assortment of four viruses from pigs, humans and birds. The vaccine is safe and effective and is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to protect humans against A(H1N1). In November 2009, the World Health Organization pledged to provide free supplies of at least nine million doses of the vaccine to the Philippines. — LBG, GMANews.TV