The Ministry of Health is continuing its vaccination campaign against swine flu since it has yet to hear officially from the World Health Organization about the accusations that drug firms are exaggerating the threat to cause panic and sell their vaccines, an official said.
The ministry has accepted vaccines supplied by the WHO, Dr. Nguyen Huy Nga, head of the ministry’s Preventive Medicine and Environment Department said at a meeting of the National Steering Committee on Human Flu Prevention on January 13.
While WHO has not formally responded to the accusation, some European nations have announced cancellation of vaccine orders.
WHO began an initiative to ensure several low- and middle-income countries get access to the vaccines. Of 35 nations seeking them, Mongolia was the first to get it and Thailand will vaccinate 2 million people this week.
Vietnam has so far reported 11,114 infections, including 53 deaths. In the past week some people have been taken to hospital with severe pneumonia but no deaths have been reported.
