The Ministry is gearing towards a mass vaccination campaign that will vaccinate a majority of Palau’s population with the seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccine.
The provisions in the procurement will help the Ministry procure the needed vaccination tools as soon as they can.
In April, the United States declared a public health emergency as a result of the detection of 20 known cases of individuals infected by a swine-origin influenza A virus in the U.S. now known as pandemic H1N1 2009 virus.
On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization declared the first pandemic in more than 40 years in recognition of widespread, sustained human-to –human transmission of the virus in different regions around the world.
Appropriations have been made to prepare for and respond to ongoing and emerging outbreaks of pandemic H1N1 2009 virus.
The mass vaccination will also protect the public health, accelerate efforts in responding to the current pandemic or outbreaks of pandemic and prepare for additional waves of the current pandemic or outbreaks of other avian, swine and human pandemic influenza virus.
The procurement efforts will gave way to the acquisition of the vaccinations faster.
Earlier Health Minister Stevenson Kuartei said that the number of influenza like illnesses (ILI) are down or almost gone.
Kuartei told reporters however that Palau is still on the watch over the illness that have caused at least 3,205 deaths worldwide since it first appeared in Mexico and the U.S. earlier this year.
Several thousands have also been affected by the illness , in Palau no H1N1 related deaths have occurred.
As of September 14 the ministry has suspended its Alternative Care Site (ACS) operations until another surge ILI cases is seen. In preparation for the second wave of the H1N1 virus, monitoring and confirmatory testing of ILI cases in Palau will continue.
