The shipment of H1N1 flu vaccines produced by GlaxoSmithKline is expected to arrive from the Netherlands to Macedonia on Wednesday morning. 80.000 vaccines will be distributed by the Macedonian Ministry of Health to the health institutions that are in charge of the immunisation against the H1N1 flu.

The Netherlands decided early on in the pandemic to order a substantial  amount of doses of the anti-flu vaccines. After a reassessment by the Dutch authorities of the real amounts needed in the Netherlands, the Macedonian and the Dutch Government, through the Dutch Embassy in Skopje and the Macedonian Embassy in The Hague, agreed that the Netherlands shares a part of the surplus vaccines with the Macedonian citizens. They will be purchased  for  the same price the Netherlands Government has paid when it first ordered them.

According to the World Health Organisation, Influenza vaccines are one of the most effective ways to protect people from contracting illness during influenza epidemics and pandemics. The pandemic influenza is a new virus, and virtually everyone is susceptible to infection from it. These vaccines will boost immunity against the new influenza, and help ensure public health as the pandemic evolves. Outcomes of studies completed to date suggest that pandemic vaccines are as safe as seasonal influenza vaccines. Side effects seen so far are similar to those observed with seasonal influenza vaccines. 

For more information on the pandemic flu visit:
-          Macedonian Ministry of Health ( www.moh.gov.mk)
-          World Health Organisation ( http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html)