DUBAI - The first batch of H1N1 swine flu vaccine has arrived in the UAE, but the government has not yet said how many doses have come in or who will be eligible to get vaccinated.UAE daily the National reported on Tuesday that the Ministry of Health would offer more details on Sunday and will launch a campaign to raise awareness about a vaccination programme.
Local media reported last month that the UAE plans to buy up to a million H1N1 flu vaccines over the next three months, adding that the first batch of 500 vaccines was expected to arrive in mid October.
About 6,200 pilgrims from the UAE will be vaccinated before travelling to perform Haj in December, daily Gulf News reported in October.
Six people have died in the UAE from swine flu and hundreds have been infected.
The National reported on Thursday that the Health Authority-Abu Dhabi (HAAD) said it had not received any information about the vaccine, produced by Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis and the UK-based drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline, and was awaiting direction from the ministry.
“Yes, the vaccine has arrived, but only just recently,” a staff member manning the Dubai Health Authority’s (DHA) swine flu hotline, who did not want to be named, told the newspaper.
“We have had no updates from the (DHA) head office on what the next step will be.
“What we know is that the Ministry of Health will be handling the vaccine and they are the ones who will distribute it among the hospitals. Once that happens, we will then have the information.”