In a major relief for those travelling to African nations, government today received a consignment of 60,000 yellow fever vaccine doses through WHO which will be distributed across the country.
There has been acute shortage of the vaccine in the country and users are finding it difficult to get the vaccine ever since the Kasauli-based Central Research Institute stopped its manufacture.
The yellow fever vaccine is compulsory for all those travelling to African nations, after the World Health Organisation 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.
"There was a shortage of yellow fever vaccine as WHO was not supplying it leading to problems for users. We have procured 60,000 vaccines and the same are being distributed to 27 vaccination centres across the country for use," Director General of Health Service Jagdish Prasad told PTI.
The Health Ministry has already placed an order of 2.75 lakh doses of the vaccine from the WHO which are likely to be received soon and would be sufficient for two years.
The yellow fever vaccine is available at 27 government vaccination centres free of cost and is also available in the open market. However, due to shortage of the vaccine, it is being sold in the blackmarket by private retailers, leading to problems for those travelling to African nations.
