MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Magallanes Region stocked for the event of a flu pandemic

Punta Arenas in the extreme south Magallanes Region of Chile has received several lots of seasonal flu vaccines which will be available in clinics and health centres as of tomorrow Wednesday announced local sanitary authorities.

Since there was some delay in receiving the latest batches Eduardo Velázquez head of the Epidemiology Department from Magallanes Health services said the seasonal flu vaccination campaign scheduled to end next Friday in Chile “will be extended until we run out of vaccine doses”.

Until last week 26.000 adults and 4.500 children had been vaccinated in Magallanes region.

“For children there’s a greater availability of doses, not so for adults since every body now wants to be vaccinated, while only a week ago (before the Mexican outbreak) we were calling on people to please come”, said Velazquez.

He also pointed out that the vaccine is for the so-called “vulnerable groups” (children and over sixty) and is free for adults over 60, pregnant women, children from 6 to 24 months and people with chronic diseases.

“Besides we must inform the local population that we are prepared in the event of a pandemic A/H1N1 influenza; we have the strategic infrastructure and are instructing personnel specifically for such a situation”, added the epidemiologist.

Velazquez said that even when the seasonal flu vaccine does not protect against the new strain “it helps to activate the immune system. The purpose is to prevent any complication or fatal cases by distributing the vaccine, free in all clinics and rural settlements of the region”, he concluded.

Demographics of Magallanes region is estimated in 160.000, the second lowest densely populated region of Chile.

According to news from Santiago, Chilean sanitary authorities have a stock of 900.000 doses for immediate availability in anti-viral treatments, which is more than 5% of the Chilean population, reported Mario Jerez, head of health supplies.

“The number of doses ensures a sufficient supply of anti viral doses for serious hospital cases and sufficient reserves to apply among people having had contact with confirmed cases”, added Jerez.

“This is in the framework of the Contingency and Preparation Plan for pandemic situations which was created back in 2002, making us one of the few countries in the region with such reserves”, he added.

The doses were purchased directly by the Chilean state from Glaxo Smith Kline, Roche, Andrómaco, Volta and Bio Sano, labs involved in the production of anti viral which have proven effective in the treatment of different strains of flu.